The Fashion Industry Produces Consumers Who Are Passive Victims Unable to Resist Its Seductive Forces.

The fashion industry produces consumers who are passive victims unable to resist

its seductive forces.

Discuss this statement with reference to fashion, giving specific examples

An Individual living within modern Western society, and arguably most of the planets population will be confronted with a wide range of goods and services, literature and institutions which describe said individual as living as part of a ‘consumer society’ or ‘consumer culture’ and describe the individual as a consumer. Within this essay the author will attempt to ascertain the extent to which consumers are unwilling slaves to the agency of consumer culture or if they ultimately have a variety of choices and subsequently have the ability to choose the particulars of how they consume media, products or services, using the medium of fashion to highlight the key areas of discussion within this often conjectural and emotive subject.

Fashion is the lynchpin of consumer culture, with its trends and constantly evolving styles, it is the perfect model on which to enter the discourse of consumer culture and understand its advantages and disadvantages within society, whether it creates passive victims unable to resist its advances or does it give consumers a choice and ability to highlight individuality.

Firstly it is important when entering the discourse on the subject of consumer culture, or indeed any discourse, to briefly touch on the key historical points of reference within the current debate on the issue this enables the reader a better understanding of where we are now. It is essential to look at what has come before, how and why we have reached this point in Modern Society and what impact this makes on the choices we as consumers have. There are multiple schools of thought regarding the advent of Consumer Culture most are directly linked with the rise of capitalism, namely the industrial revolution of the early 19th century, starting first in Britain and spreading throughout...