Flapper

While several changes in American culture have taken place, especially in fashion and film, more attributes are linked to the film industry, Coco Chanel and the Victorian era, which had great influence on women fashion and their relationship. To this end, Joshua Zeitz postulated that “the younger generation has been changing through the last twenty years” (Zeitz, 2007). Moreover, “girls, for instance, have found the accent shifted from chemical purity to breadth of viewpoint, intellectual charm, and piquant cleverness” (Zeitz, 2007). Women are normally influenced by the ever-changing fashion trends. Indeed, in many occasions, every woman likes to identify with a particular fashion that is unique and suits her instinct, not forgetting that the fashion choice is current and blazing. Notably, the influence of fashion on women has a long history tracing back to 1860s. From that period, women have always shopped for almost every new fashion that the designers bring to the market. Besides, it is usual that a woman keeps herself to a single fashion for a long period, but continues to make frequent visits to boutiques to checkout for a new fashion in the market. Furthermore, popular designers have always concentrated on checking the women preferences, and coming out with exemplary designs that attract more percentage of women.

The cost of fashion ranges from social to financial, but also depends on the environment of the application. Ideally, it is not preferable for one to attempt to apply a costly fashion in a more remote environment, knowing very well that the majority of the residents are of lower class and may not afford the cost of the fashion. On the other hand, an outdated fashion cannot be applied in a high income social class. It is through this class difference that a relationship is created among different classes of women in society.

Notably, women with low self-esteem may not disturb themselves with fashions and are always sported putting on their casual wear; but those women with high self-esteem are usually embracing any fashion that comes to the market. This is an observation that ca be made at the local boutiques. Brilliantly, such fashion women tend to incline to a particular social group, and consider themselves as higher class than the ones not in fashion. In fact, this affects the women’s relationships with other fellows who, in most cases, think they are inferior to this class. Furthermore, women can confirm the fact that any astute observation leads to the conclusion that certain class of women identifies with certain fashion.

In considering the effects of fashion on relationships, the notion of class comes clear, and that it is easier for one to note that different women with different fashion preferences have nothing in common. These two groups are distinct and cannot be true friends, and as a result of this, may not have a meaningful relationship with their fellow women. On the contrary, women who find that they are fashion-oriented also form a class of people with meaningful relationships. It is noted that women are cute with their vision, and that whatever fashion a woman thinks is not attractive enough may not persuade her to spend money on that item. In this manner, women relationships with their husbands are normally interfered with when such women place excess demands on fashion. In response, the male companions think they are taken as cash-out slots to satisfy the women’s needs.

There are no similar effects of fashion in women, and when considering the effects, then all cases should be dealt with distinctly. Moreover, what one woman desires when it comes to fashion may differ even when these women come from the same social class and that is the justification for different appearances in terms of color choice and the type of fashion. 

In some cases, fashion comes in colors, make-ups or names. Normally people tend to identify with such fashions blindly, without identifying the underlying truth about them. Sincerely, names are usually from prominent personalities and celebrities worldwide. It is also worth noting that every 14^th February of every year comes with a fashion of red color to mark the St. Valentine’s celebration. On this 14^th day of the month, every informed woman likes to identify with red as the color of the day. They, therefore, tend to dissociate from those who dress normally, and assume that they are more fashionable than the others. In this case, class issue once again brings the relationship hurdle among women or between women and their husbands.

It is important to note that sexual desires are normally linked to emotions and unrestrained expressions. Communication is vital in expressing sexual desires and complex emotional state. It forms the basis for negotiating for relationships and emotional meanings. There exist differences in communicating the sexual desires; for instance, men are alleged to be more interested in sex than women. This can be credited to men being less forbidden by the societal norms for expressing the desire, knowing more about the sexual desires or succumbing to the prospects of the gender culture. On the other hand, women initially took passive roles in advocating for love and employed indirect tactics to show their sexual desire. However, with time, women have come to the realization that their potential look advances sexual desire. Consequently, women have opted for using their feminism to advance their likes and dislikes regarding marriage, children and work. This empowerment comes from magazines that carry topics on work, career, together with conventional subjects, for instance, fashion, relationships and entertainment.

Some of the magazines focus mainly on tough decision-making issues regarding whether women should quit working and start a family. In this regard, Joshua Zeist reported that “Magazines like The Atlantic Monthly pondered whether the ‘Younger Generation is in Peril,’ while other popular tracts like George Coe’s ‘What Ails Our Youth? And Ben Lindsey’s ‘The Revolt of Modern Youth’ became essential reading for anyone who wanted to know (Zeist, 2007). This implied that the influence of film and fashion industry had greatly interfered with societal norms, since women had resorted to birth control methods. More women, “increasingly turned to a variety of birth control techniques, including coitus ‘interruptus’, the rhythm method, prophylactics, and abortion” (Zeitz, 2007). As a result, birth rates fell, as more women in white-collar jobs took to family planning.

Women who read magazines may get to know the present trends not just in clothing, fashion and style, but also how women take care of their husbands and children. The fashion magazines, in several ways, enlighten women on how they can be beautiful, in spite of being busy (Hermes 59). The magazines center on natural ways aimed at making women appealing, for example, yoga and the remedies for home beauty treatments. Consequently, fashion designers are faced with the constant challenge of setting trends for the customer’s (women) satisfaction by making fashion products that suit the changing world trends.

Fashion magazines have been observed in some cases as enticing the women into slimming to appear smart. The result may be the risk of getting anorexia, which is an emotional disorder characterized by infatuated desire to lose weight by refusing to eat more. Women are normally influenced by the mass media messages and images that affect the desire of wanting to be like the super models. Anorexia, which is a dangerous medical condition, occurs during the adolescence stage, which is worrying because it is during adolescence stage that women start the socialization and identity development. Women magazines contribute significantly towards the development of anorexic condition. When women fail to eat and become thin to be attractive as the super models, they may develop complications eventually. Therefore, it is worth noting that even if women wanted to be attractive to men, thin women may not attract more attention from men. It is also evident that “every woman of that generation, it seemed, no matter her background or means, wanted to be a flapper” (Zeitz, 2007). Even young women immigrants became a flapper to accommodate “the old world to the new” (Zeitz, 2007).

In summary, film and fashion industry has brought more changes into the American culture. Designers have contributed immensely towards females’ fashion. The designers are known by many individuals for their vision for glamour and female sexuality. However, women have also influenced fashion in their own ways not as models, but as makers and marketers of clothes and other beauty products. Some female designers have produced clothes that enhance sex appeal while others have become moguls in fashion corporate life. Fashion businesses owned by women are seen to expand rapidly, in fact, in some countries, for example, women account for a larger percentage of decision-makers when it comes to buying of clothes because of their fashion consciousness. However, in spite of women being innovative and hard-working in the line of fashion, their efforts have not been appreciated much. This is due to lack appreciation and recognition, hence, there are no women brands featuring in the top brands worldwide. Women shoe brands have seen marked improvement; women’s pairs of shoes come in all manner of sizes, shapes and colors. There are shoes that are designed for office businesses; others are designed for general purposes, for example, casual walk.