Friday, September 30, 2011

Fashion For All

Yes, I would consider myself a true follower of fashion. To tell you the truth, I think everyone in some shape or form is or was. Whether it's the past, today or tomorrow's world, we have all lived in a world surrounded by fashion statements, fashion don'ts and general fashion that gets us by because, well we have to wear something don't we?

Marjorie, from "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" was pleasantly refreshing, at least in my opinion. Though she was mean, she was also truthful and definitely a follower of fashion. I guess I should start off by saying what I think a "follower of fashion" means to me. I think a follower is someone who not necessarily dresses and wears the latest fashion and shops from the trendiest stores but rather, they are educated on fashion. These are the people who can spot "Lucky Jeans" a mile away or see a penguin on a shirt and know it's the Penguin Company. These are the people who don't always wear expensive designer clothes, but know one design when they see it.

I, being a follower of fashion, find this ability distracting at times, especially in movies because of scenarios in particular. If a movie is representing a family that is "low-income" or is struggling to pay bills, they have these actors dressed in the highest fashion. A true follower of fashion would hit a road block here because the scene becomes unrealistic by what the actor or actress is wearing. I think Marjorie is just like this.

She deep down probably loves her cousin Bernie but her lack of social intelligence is blinding to Marjorie. It's hard for her to see the whole picture of Bernie being a person who has a brain because she is too busy obsessing over the things that she doesn't have.

As we talked about in class, Marjorie just told it like it is and in the words of one of the students, "Marjorie's keeping it real." I agree with what this student said because Marjorie is only asking that everyone have something to offer. She doesn't punish or make fun of the fat girl because she is fat. If she's funny, she has something to offer and that seemed to be enough for Marjorie.

Straying a little away from the reading, I think it's important to really look to where fashion originated. We've seen pictures of past fashion in class and we've read about women's clothing slowly maturing into lesser garments. I think this thought of fashion in general and all this time women and men spent on fussing over clothing was due to the fact that there was time.  Time to be wasted for a change, instead of spending it on trying to live. Sure everyone was trying to make a living and horrible things were happening all across the country, particular in the south, but people who had a touch more money than most could afford to put some though into how they looked.

What do you think of this theory? Which side are you on- Bernice or Marjorie?

3 comments:

  1. I think that your definition of a follower of fashion is very accurate. I think that a follower of fashion is someone that knows the name brands and can point them out but does not necessarily wear them. I do however think that most times followers of fashion also wear the brands that they follow. There is a limit to this. Most people that are really into fashion cannot afford to buy the super expensive designers but they can pick out who designed what.

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  2. I agree that a follower of fashion is someone who can point it out in a snap. But I think that if someone is following this fashion they are also wearing it. People probably can't afford the really high end stuff but they can afford everything else. I am on Bernice's side because she was just trying to be herself and Marjorie was being a bitch by making her change.

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  3. Actually, I'm one of the people who often spots brands and keeps at least one lazy eye on trends, but I go out of the way most of the time to avoid wearing anything distinctive, unless I'm dressing up. As The Zoo says, labels are hard to afford, and the looks typically require a certain body type that lots of people aren't. It really must be annoying to notice if people are dressed wrong for their character in movies! Now I'm going to notice that too, thanks a lot ;-( Perhaps though, Bernice was as fashionable as Marjorie, but her particular style didn't go over with Marjorie's crowd? Then, as now, certain style niches just don't go together, and possibly even don't like each other.

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