Clothes We Wear

766 Words4 Pages
The clothes we wear, and how we wear them, is a form of expression to the people around us (Laura Bovone, 2006; Dick Hebdige, 1979; Rosaleen Croghan, Christine Griffin, Janine Hunter & Ann Phoenix, 2006). “Communication” can be classified into two different categories: intended and unintended (Hebdige, 2007, p.256), both of which are important in portraying image and intentions. This paper seeks to discuss the relationship between clothes, communication and youth and the extent to which intended expression has a greater impact as compared to unintended expression. “Urban style cultures and urban cultural production in Milan: Postmodern identity and the transformation of fashion” by Bovone (2006) looks at the development and compromise of identity in today’s society. “Style” by Hebdige (1979) analyses the meaning of fashion through clothes, seeing it as an intended form of expression. “Style Failure: Consumption, Identity and Social Exclusion” by Croghan et al. (2006) talks about the development of fashion in relation to youths and their acceptance into social circles, and the different methods youths use, to maintain their fashion cliques. Clothing and the formation of identity are interlinked. Bovone (2006) supports this point when she asserts that, “When identity materializes into practices or accounts, it must in most cases be dressed” (p.371). We tend to judge people’s identities based on their appearances, and since people are always dressed, clothes become an integral part in the formation of our identity (Bovone, 2006). Also, Croghan et al. (2006) points out that people especially youths, judge others based on their outward appearance where the link between “style “ and “popularity” is more evident in younger students compared to older students (p.470). This means that clothes are very much agents in our identity. The importance of clothes is evident
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