Recently /u/Camille11325 shared this post on the sub and while interesting, many people on the sub and the blog seemed a bit puzzled about the overall relevance the show had to wider society. It wasn’t a topic that I had much experience with, and fortunately Camille (an avid fashion enthusiast) took the time to explain things. She pointed out the fact that fashion influences trends, priorities, and is huge social driver in many ways.

The point remains that those who are in charge of shaping the tastes of the country are pushing androgyny and the inversion of gender roles. Even if the runway versions of the looks are more extreme, the concepts trickle down into ready to wear lines and influence magazines, tv shows, and celebrity choices. All of this influences the everyday person.

Link

You can read our full exchange here - thankfully she was very patient with me. :0)

I recalled the speech from Streep’s performance in “The Devil Wears Prada” which was brilliant and very entertaining to watch. In an abstract way, I understood that things happen on the runway and at the top of the fashion world, which then trickle down and are changed to meet the demands of different clothing markets. However, when it comes to seeing the path of how fashion filters down to mainstream consumers, I simply don’t have the familiarity or background to consistently notice and understand those patterns.

Only a few days after Camille’s post, H&M announced plans to launch an entire unisex collection which is interesting (and concerning). Furthermore, the collection will include dresses for men.

For the first time in recent memory, this unisex collection includes a dress.

The article praises H&M for being so forward thinking, revolutionary, and inclusive. The author clearly thinks highly of companies that go out of their way to include the ‘marginalized.’^1

It’s really nice to have a concrete example of how a runway show directly influenced, inspired, (or maybe even just encouraged) a mainstream company to pursue a similar direction. There’s clearly a liberal, feminist, inclusivity angle to this collection, but it’s really not as innocent (or positive) as many may be inclined to believe.

So yes, one fashion show may seem like a small drop in the bucket of things that are happening, but when we pay attention to how these ideas are perpetuated, altered, and filtered for wider and wider audiences - then we can start to see larger patterns hidden in the seams.


I am very concerned about the ‘war on gender’ and the neurotic idea being pushed by so many liberals/feminists that ‘gender’ is a regressive and damaging concept that is entirely fabricated.^2

Although the realm of fashion and how it influences society is new to me, I am far more comfortable as soon as things shift to movies and TV. I have seen and continue to see how movies and television play a huge role when it comes to influencing society. Look no further than social media, and the many fans that not only love when their favorite celebs ‘speak out’ on current events, but also to the many millions of people that are confused about why actors are butting in at all. For example, Beyonce is an incredibly successful singer, but as MyNameIsJosephine points out, she isn’t pushing feminism/BLM etc for altruistic reasons - she’s being intelligent and making calculated decisions that will translate into more popularity (which in turn will allow her to make even more money). The video also touches on how the behavior of celebrities will influence and affect the fan-base/wider public. Many people dislike when celebs or the ultra rich try to ‘educate’ and ‘scold’ the bulk of Americans while they’re in the process of virtue signaling because celebrities themselves occupy a lifestyle that is completely detached from what most people experience (which means everything they say comes off as condescending).^3 For example Streep’s speech painted MMA as some regressive, racist, white sport...when it’s actually one of the most diverse..

Understandably, it can be hard to keep all these moving pieces straight because everything is connected and there are lots of overlaps - but the motivation always seems to be the same - accumulation of power and money. The pursuit of wealth and influence is not by definition evil or wrong, and there are many celebrities that I like (in that I enjoy watching them on screen). Even though these things are messy, it is important to consider the larger implications that these industries are pushing for mass consumption. It’s insidious because it can be so hard to really nail things down and see everything clearly.

When you consider feminism, most people may have problems with it, but they either won’t fully know how to articulate their concerns (remember, criticism is often pushed as ‘racist/sexist/blank-phobic’ by liberals), or they get the impression that everyone else is ‘on board’ with these things. The way liberalism operates is actually a fascinating topic and I encourage everyone to watch this interview with Jordan B Peterson and PhD student Christine Brophy)^4 because it completely changed the way I thought about both extremism in general, and much of what I see happening among feminists and liberals today.

The US is undeniably dominated by liberal morals, ideals, and concerns - which makes sense in many ways because the arts and liberalism seem like natural bedfellows (pushing boundaries, creativity, turning things on their head etc). Not that conservatives cannot be great performers, artists etc - but everyone that ‘plays’ (or buys into) the liberal agenda will have a far easier time (and may even benefit from unearned exposure bumps) by swimming with the current. Noam Chomsky - The 5 Filters of the Mass Media Machine is a great short video that explains how politics, media, and policy are organized into an effective process that is ‘ready made’ for mass consumption (and acceptance). I’m by no means a communist, but I do think it’s worthwhile to think critically of how society is shaped, and the tools that are used to influence, define, and distract us as a population. Basically, when the bulk of the media is dominated by one agenda (especially when that agenda is more concerned with profit than fairness or even accuracy), a continual procession of lies are distributed day in and day out. When you tell people the same lie often enough, they’ll eventually accept it as truth (I can’t remember the original quote at the moment).

I know this thread is all over the place, so I’ll attempt a TL;DR:

Fashion (and movies/TV) drive priorities and trends that are eagerly devoured by the larger public. The liberal/feminist undertones to these trends reinforce positions that continue to: (a) trap women/POC/non-straight communities as perpetual victims, (b) the most incredible humans ever to exist, (c) ranks people not by merit but by their physical appearance. The continuing war on gender and sex will inevitably make things even harder for subsequent generations to date and marry (this actually goes into a larger theory of how the left/feminists hate nuclear families and want them destroyed so that the government and other groups have the most influence/final say in a person’s life).


  1. Note: I do not mean that gay/trans etc communities do not experience discrimination, I do think the only messages liberals/feminists ever send to the wider public are: (A.) There’s a massive number of people from all these communities that are routinely made to feel inhuman and the patriarchy is the only reason they aren’t ruling the world. (B.) These people are all above and beyond fantastic simply because of their skin/orientation/gender - so any criticisms are automatically racist/sexist etc. (C.) Only more oppressed/disadvantaged people can call out other POC/women/non-straight people. It’s a system that has nothing to do with personal merit, and everything to do with evaluating how ‘legitimate’ a person is based on the number of victim boxes they can check off

  2. Link in comment because I couldn't format everything properly by keeping it in the actual post - apologies!

  3. Note: Personally, I do not hate the wealthy or the upper elite for having a life I can’t even really begin to imagine. I do take serious issue with pointless virtue signaling however, and the constant agenda of liberals and feminists to both infantilize minorities/women/non-straight communities while at the same time militantly saying those groups can only exist in certain feminist approved ways (ie if you are a conservative black person you are called an “Uncle Tom” and if you are a traditional woman you are ‘abused’, ‘brain-washed’, and too stupid for your own good).

  4. The more militant/less capable liberals (PC Authoritarians) are protected, infantilized by the less extreme (more intelligent) liberals (PC Egalitarians). A mother/child bond is established, and whenever the child (PC Auth) is unhappy - the mother (PC Egal) assumes both innocence on the part of the child and seeks to justify and defend the behavior/reactions of the child. This is a fairly long interview, but it’s so insightful and really worth taking the time to watch.


Questions

  1. What do you think of the H&M line?

  2. What are some trends or ideas you have seen taken from the media and turned into popular trends?

  3. Are you concerned about the war on gender?

  4. Do you care when celebrities/athletes/musicians step into the political realm: (A.)Within their work (example a song that deals with racial issues)?(B) Outside of their work (example going to speak to the UN, turning an award speech into a political agenda)?

  5. General thoughts?