Selling Mythologies, Harnessing Autonomy
Spring 2024
Fashion is a form of creative expression, but the industry’s narratives of what is to be valued or devalued often manipulates individuality. Fashion campaigns, advertisements, and publications are interventions in cultural meanings, altering how individuals relate to these accessories of self-reflection. Due to their overwhelming, multimodal, narratives we consume these mythologies from all directions and in turn they consume our identity, resulting in a skewed self-image. One can choose to emulate what is being shown through media or reject the mainstream; participating in either strategy recognizes the impact the fashion industry has in personal identification. It is a battle in being authentically oneself while also being confronted with what is deemed acceptable, trendy, or respected as culture continually shifts. It becomes difficult to discern where our consumption is routine or intentional. This work calls for an increased sense of individual agency, an encouragement for a more DIY engagement with fashion versus passively receiving and adhering to the pressures of the fashion industry.
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