Propaganda in fashion

Propaganda is most uninhibitedly used in politics and advertising, and is known to make an appearance in religious conflicts. It cannot be said with certainty which use of propaganda is most dangerous (commercial, political, or religious), but commercial propaganda is almost indisputably the most subtle. Because advertising is so broad, having to do with an endless range of products, purposes, consumers, monetary value, and parts of the world, it employs the most subtle techniques in order to win the consumer's attention and money. Commercial propaganda, more than political or religious propaganda, also appeals to the aesthetic sense in humansan entity often underestimated and undervaluedand this is why it is sometimes more difficult to identify by teenagers and children alike.

I am very fond of Dolce and Gabbana advertisements, which happen to be very obviousbut powerfulpieces of propaganda. They rely heavily on transfer propaganda. Specifically, they link sexuality to their label by making their advertisements erotic. Their imagesoften homoerotic or BDSM in natureconnect to consumers' subconscious dreams of wild sex and adrenaline controlled sexual escapades of the animalistic (ex: Catwoman) form. In tapping onto the consumers' sexuality, they draw on a very powerful desire in them; and by connecting this desire (even craving) to their label, they induce many consumers (who can afford) to buy their products.

Although I see myself as a logical person who can weigh the credibility of ideas and is able to see propaganda or illogical arguments, I am still sometimes susceptible to the propaganda used in the fashion and cosmetics industry. Although I realize that most women do not have gorgeous manes of hair, legs devoid of cellulite, bodies absent of a single hair, clear skin, pert little noses, elegant hands and feet, flat stomachs, and divinely proportional curves, I cannot help but fall into a trap and begin a rigorous cosmetics and beautifying regime that leaves me invisibly glorified. The fashion industry is known to purposely generate the vision of the ideal woman in various forms in order to induce its followers to spend their money. Many women not only fall for the physical side of the fashion industry, but try to emulate the emotions (or lack thereof) models portray in magazines or in catwalks. The most common phenomenon is the flirty, hooded look from under luscious eyelashes which does plenty for first impressions and first dates but leaves a disconnect between the firsts and the sequelswhere real character and body language emerge.

Even as I make choices in rebellion of the fashion and cosmetics industry, I see a birth of a new form of the fashion industry emerging; it was drawn to my attention by The Style Network (TSN) which offers everyone (usually women) the chance to be stylish, sophisticated, and sexy but on each individual's own terms. TSN and its aims are growing more prominent as women (and men) in their search for style and beauty find that they can be equated with comfort, utility, and (amazingly) health and wellbeing. The network itself is funded by reality shows which are based on spreading this idea, rather than by advertisements. In the future, I see the emergence of style (aesthetics) take precedence over fashion (money-generating fads); this trend will be permeated by propaganda as well, but I do think consumers will have learned to be more critical and even cynical. Watch out, Dolce and Gabbana - your transfer propaganda may not work.
http://www.helium.com/items/1610056-propaganda-fashion