Today, I want to talk about how the ruthless the world of fashion is, in cultivating a nest of mental health issues. Behind the world of extravagance, glamour and endless excitement, hides an ugly world that exacerbates a host of problems.
The fact is, like it or not, we all react to and live our lives based on trends (knowingly and unknowingly). Some people amongst us are brave and determined enough to go off the grid, but for the majority, it’s a herculean task.
We are coerced into wanting to look and be like ‘fashion identities’ who are presented by the media in front of us as public figures who work in high-profile public roles such as actors, models and fashion enthusiasts.
Together, this creates a toxic environment that creates a vicious culture of constant self-doubt and self-loathing.
Our personal taste and comfort should be the only variable that must be taken into consideration. The so-called celebrities we try to follow reflect a fashion identity that is their own.
There’s nothing wrong in being inspired, and experimenting with different options to create a more dynamic appearance, but to become a slave of fashion is not healthy.
Another factor fuelling this mental anguish is fast fashion and its consumption. We are relentlessly bombarded with images of what’s fashionable every day, and also see what our peers, co-workers and even strangers are wearing.
The industry relies on fast fashion to create a demand, and it can be very stressful to try and keep up with this demand. When you are a different person every day, it’s easy to lose touch with yourself!
Fashion should help us express ourselves, it should empower us, and bring the best out of us. It should make us feel good about ourselves.
Fashion should be progressive, timeless and exciting. If on the contrary, it makes us feel anxious, unhappy and unworthy, we do need to reconsider our relationship with fashion.
We need to find our lost selves in the maze of fashion, appreciate our being, caress our soul and present ourselves in a style that’s aligned with our own identity. So if you want to wear jeans and a T-shirt to a cocktail party rather than a black dress, you can do that without feeling the need to stick to so-called ‘fashion rules.’ After all, rules are meant to be broken.
UK-based designer Ayush Kejriwal is a columnist with Indulge, writing on various topics of fashion, challenging preconceived notions about beauty and looks.