Deviance in Fashion

SOC3400 Social Deviance

Unit 10 Final Research Project

Fashion and Deviance

Submitted by Edwina L. Trader

Introduction

“Normative behavior is inherently good and deviance is inherently bad” (Adler & Adler, 2012, p. 3). Although some states allow public nudity in certain areas, the law in most of the United States requires that we clothe ourselves before going out into the public. Except for religious purposes, it is socially acceptable in most countries to expose the head, arms and legs. All of us have a style of dress that we have chosen. Some people enjoy the laid back casual style while others like to be dressed “to the nines.” Some people like retro styles or throwbacks while others like to be trendy and whatever the current fashion is, that’s how they dress. I know people who absolutely will not wear a t-shirt. I know people who don’t wear denim (jeans). I don’t think they are deviant in the sense that they aren’t violating any rules, but I do think they are different. So what happens when we run into people whose chosen style of dress differs completely from what polite society feels comfortable with? What about the child who chooses to dress Goth? What does society say about teen age girls who wear stiletto heels to middle school?

There are so many fashion questions that come to mind when I think about the chosen styles of dress of the people I encounter each day. I have been at my job for 18 years. There is a lady here who wears a pure white outfit every single day. It’s a long white tunic dress with a white overlay. She wears white shoes and her hair is wrapped in a white scarf. I asked her if it is for religious purposes. She said it was not but it was simply her personal preference. Again, there is nothing wrong with her choice but it doesn’t seem normal since she doesn’t attribute it to religion. I have found that many people respected her when they thought it was...