Fashion- The media's influence

The media are human communication systems which use processes of industrialised technology for producing messages. The media, which includes press, radio, television and cinema, have become the place through which we recieve most of our information. In their representations, the media give us explanations and ways of understanding the world in which we live, also including other people and ourselves. A question which is commonly asked- are we automatically affected and controlled by forces outside ourselves or do we have freedom and autonomy to make our own decisions? I argue that we are programmed and controlled by forces outside of our control (including the media), but through our own feelings and rationality we have the ability to question and change things. This question interlinks well within the fashion industry. When we think about fashion and the media I automatically think of television programs such as 'Australia's Next Top Model,' 'What Not to Wear' and 'Queer eye for the straight guy,' each of these shows is created around the concept of image and how individuals should look. The media produces images via magazines, television shows and cinema of models and actresses portraying an ideal image of what to wear and how the rest of society should look. Jennifer Aniston quoted in Vanity Fair, May 2001, "the media create this wonderful illusion-but the amount of airbrushing that goes into those beauty magazines, the hours of hair and makeup! It's impossible to live up to, because it's not real." http://www.hilary.com/fashion/bikini.html

Contemporary society is hedonistic and our culture is a lot more materialistic and image based. Due to advanced technology the media is readily available worldwide to influence individuals and paint a picture of how we should look, this is evident in every television show we watch. Home and Away, a show aired at 7:00 weeknights aimed at teenagers, demonstrates this idea with individuals being categorised as 'cool' and 'popular,' through the way they look and dress. The media acts as a vehicle of influence and information and through advancements in technology individuals world wide can access it.