In our culture, fashion and style play a big part in how people are perceived and often stereotyped. Since fashions change so often, I would consider current fashion trends to be a part of popular culture. The television show “What Not to Wear” is an entertaining program that focuses on fashion faux pas. The episodes air on the discovery channel and are hosted by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. The women who are chosen for the show have been secretly nominated by their friends and family. In exchange for an all expense paid trip to New York and $5000 for a brand new wardrobe, the ladies must agree to discard their current wardrobe, which are displayed and poked fun at by Clinton and Stacy. In addition to the new wardrobe, the contestant also receives a makeover from professional make-up artist, Carmindy, and hair stylist, Nick Arrojo.
A typical episode features a woman who is chosen because her friends and family feel that she is stuck in a fashion time warp. Nick is faced with convincing a woman that “big hair” screams 1980s and that even Farah Fawcett has since changed her style. The women in my office enjoy talking about the show. We have discussed what we feel causes a person to resist changing their style. One thought is that women want to stay in the time period when they have reached their prime. If a woman feels that she was most attractive in the 1980s then she is tempted to wear clothes and a hairstyle from that decade. Ironically, she thinks she looks her best when in fact she is only drawing attention to her age.
Some women have been nominated because their friends don’t think their fashion is a good match for their status or occupation. For example, a woman who had earned her MBA was still wearing the sloppy sweat pants that she had worn as an undergrad. It’s interesting to me that people stereotype those who dress poorly as being uneducated or lower class. I suppose this is why they say, dress for the position you want, not the position you are in. Fashion rules!