The Importance Of Beauty In The Fashion Industry

The fashion industry has of late been met with intense scrutiny due to its perceived notions of beauty and how if one looks a certain way than they are beautiful but ugly if one looks different than the norm. For instance plus sized models used to advertise different clothing brands is significantly less popular than thin sized models. The lack of diversity that is shown throughout the fashion industry in regards to model sizes show just one aspect of consumer culture that needs to change to incorporate all aspects of beauty. For plus sized models, the lack thereof really comes to light in regards to black plus sized models. When black plus sized women are shown it was originally in the corpulent body of “mammy” which was the plus sized asexual …show more content…
In this instance women make more than men whereas in other areas of the labor market it is the other way around. There are three main occupations in which women make between 200-1,000 times more than men, this includes stripping, fashion modeling and porn acting. This area of work depicts how postindustrial organizational structures that include areas such as freelance connect with cultural norms that devalue the display of sexualized male bodies which results in lower pay for men (Mears & Connell, 2016). Now display work is part of the aesthetic labor market, it includes the management of both emotions and body capital. This type of labor has become increasingly important to workers that are in the interactive service sector such as bars, tourism, retail and restaurants. This is where employees are trained to project personas that are sellable (Mears & Connell, 2016). In comparison to aesthetic laborers in the service industry, those who are display workers have to be able to create an aesthetic persona that they will be able to project in the form of personality and energy. In order for these workers to do this they must follow certain standards of appearance. Such as the case for fashion models where it is strict for women at a height of 5 feet 9 inches and for men it is a height of 6 feet 3 inches (Mears & Connell, 2016). In regards to the wage …show more content…
Women in western culture have been met with a variety of critiques when it comes to cosmetics. One such objection is that the use of cosmetics conceals the true self of a person behind a false mask of deceit. The usage of cosmetics has been regarded as nothing more than a sign of trickery and inauthenticity where the user of cosmetics masquerades as something she is not (Negrin, 2008). From a poststructuralist standpoint, the supposed problem that comes with cosmetics is that that they cover up ones ‘true self’, while on the contrary it reflects ones inner being. According to some theorists such as Michel Thevoz (1984) and Alfonso Lingis (1983) the earlier critiques that are directed at cosmetics were based off of the mistaken premise that there is a ‘true self’ that is not connected with the masks one wears when it is actually the masks themselves that constitutes ones inner self (Negrin, 2008). The definition of the self because of masks does not challenge the decrease in self-identity to image which is used by the fashion industries through advertising to endorse and promote their products (Negrin, 2008). The usage of cosmetics that are used to create ones self-constructed view of identity is not necessarily a liberating experience. In this present day and age where self-identity has been defined by nothing more than ones physical appearance by the advertising from fashion