LAST BLOG!

The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this. - Mark Twain

As I write my final blog entry, I realize that my final Winter Quarter here at UC Davis is also coming to a rapid close. That freaks the hell out of me. I must say, I came into this class not knowing a thing about fashion, but I will leave it knowing a thing or two about how this miniscule institution of society - fashion - has a great influence over people's lives. Fashion transcends the runways of Paris and surprisingly plays a role in the politics and economics of any given society. Moreover, fashion gives a voice to the youth, as Kawamura explains in Fashion-ology, "Young people experiment with every possible clothing combination and create their own definitions of what fashion is" (106). You take a walk out in the quad on any given day and all around you can identify the hipsters, the jocks, the nonconformists, the preps, the scenesters, the punks, the hippies, and countless other groups of people hoping to make some sort of statement through the clothes they wear. Your clothing is the first impression that people get from you, and, albeit an unfortunate tendency, you are automatically placed in some category depending on this perception that the person makes of you. Thus as I close my final blog entry all I can say is embrace the clothing you're wearing. Love it. Express yourself for who you really are, not what people expect you to be. Be proud of it (and if you are a practicing nudist, more power to you).

The Compact Challenge was definitely difficult. The challenge took place during a holiday where you're expected to buy a significant other a present. I mean, give me a break! I did learn a lot, however, about the difficulties of preventing consumption when our whole society is structured around consumerism. Maybe sometime in the distant (and I mean very distant) future, our society can learn to embrace second hand and eco-friendly products. Until then, I will continue to learn how to break this bad habit. To all my friends in ASA, have a great Spring Break, and if I don't see you by graduation, good luck in wherever life takes you!

Post #10

Jo Anne Lasola

Source:

Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology An Introduction to Fashion Studies (Dress, Body, Culture). New York: Berg, 2005.

Outside Source:

http://quotegarden.com/clothing.html

Image:

http://wallofstyles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lady-gaga.jpg