Fashions may be defined as way of living, decorating, etc., which are popular today, which are popular today, but which would soon lose their popularity. It is something passing and transitory, a mere craze of the moment to be looked down upon with contempt. For example, tight pants are the fashion today, but only a short while ago broad loose pants were the order of the day. If today a man appears in society wearing broad pants, he would be held up to ridicule, but only a few years ago they were the height of fashion, symbols of good taste and culture.
Fashion is a tyrant; no tyrant is greater than that of fashion. Everyone tries to imitate the latest fashions. The youth specially are mad after it. They would not mind any expenditure to be in fashion. They must have their clothes cut according to the latest vogue, their hair made up according to the latest style, even if this places a heavy burden on their parents. Many of them realize that a particular fashion would soon pass away; even then they waste their money over it. Costly articles of dress are often discarded, only because the fashion has passed away. Girls, specially educated ones, are the worst sinners in this respect. They are crazy after Sarees of the latest prints, ornaments of the latest designs, and other beauty aids which many happen to be popular at a particular time. Often, the entire family has to suffer owing to their craze for fashion. Many family discords and quarrels may be traced to this tyrant.
Such is the tyranny of fashion that the fashion-drunk do not even care for their personal convenience. Popular articles of dress are often worn even if they make bodily movement difficult, and put the wearer to great hardship. Girls wear tight clothes, as tight as possible, even though the dress is entirely inconvenient. They are not move about in comfort, or to attend to their house-hold work, but still tight dresses are worn because others also use them. They do not even care for modesty and decency in their craze for fashion. Similar is the case with young men; they continue to wear tight pants, even though they freely acknowledge that their dress is highly inconvenient for them. Fashion is a tyrant which exacts strict adherence to its orders from its slaves.
The fashion - loving do not care-even for their time. They have no sense of its value. Fashionable young men and women waste much of their time daily in make-up and dressing up. Modern girl’s waste hours in applying lipstick, rouge powder and beauty aids. They must do that hair according to the latest style, however ridiculous it may be. They would go to bed with their hair well oiled so that there may be no need of oil the next day and they may go out with their hair dry, according to fashion. Studies may suffer, but who cares for it? Similarly, the fashion crazy young men west there precious time in the pursuit of fashion they take hours over their hair and the toilet which follows. They carry their pocket-combs to their class-rooms and comb their hair even in the course of a lecture. They attended more to their toilets, that to the lecture. Other students may be disturbed, even the attentions of their teacher may be diverted, but they do not care for all this.
The cinema and TV are the most important sources of fashions. The cinema, goers see the different style of dress and make up used by film actors and actresses. These fashions excise strong fascination over then and they are moved by a strong desire to imitate them. Girls see an actress say ‘Kartina Kaif’, with a particular dress style, and at once they are mad for it. Similarly, tight pants, the goat cut beard etc., were first used by particular actor and then were imitated by their fans.
Contact with foreigners is another importance source of fashion. With the increase in cheap and swift means of travel and communication, the important of their source is rapidly increasing. More and more people are now coming in contact with people with other countries, and imitating the fashions of the foreigners. The televisions the fashion shows, the beauty competition, and news papers advertisement are other prominent sources which increase the strength and popularity of this tyrant.
All fashions are futile. They have a tendency to filter downwards. They spread from the rich to the poor and from the advance and prosperous countries to the backward and poor ones. By the time the fashion has reached from one class or country to another, it tends to be discard by the class or country which originated it. Many of those who try to be in fashion do know that it is fleeting. But even then they are madly followed as if nothing on earth matters more. Nothing brings out the tyranny of fashion better than this fact.
