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Challenging the Conventional Image of Elderly Women
There is a preconceived idea among many that there is a correct way to grow old, especially for women. To grow old gracefully is a familiar expression, so what about those that challenge this adage? Who deems what is graceful and what is not? There is a conventional image of elderly women. However, just because society considers one way more acceptable, the reality is that there is no right or wrong way to dress. There is a distinct lack of representation of more mature women modelling current styles. There are fashionable older women who do not necessarily follow the ‘grandma’ trope, but there are not as many that push the…
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Does the Fashion Industry Have an Ageism Problem?
The discussions surrounding diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry are now commonplace. Yet these discussions tend to rarely extended to include the lack of age varied representation, particularly the older generation. Ageing is a process of life, so why is it that this process, through the older generation, less represented than the younger counterparts? With the lack of representation through advertising and targeting clothing brands, there could be a gap in the market. Fashion can be about self-expression and inclusivity. Fashion cannot be fully diversified whilst a demographic of customers are not seeing themselves represented and reflected within the industry. Is fashion catered towards young people? There is a…
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Adaptions needed within the Fashion Industry to help those with Visual Impairment
According to RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) more than two million people in the UK live with sight loss. This seems a staggering statistic and since visual impairment could affect anyone, an accessibility to shop for oneself would seem a simple freedom most would expect to have. However, there is an evident lack of accessibility within the fashion industry. People suffering from sight loss cannot simply walk into a high-street store and buy an item of clothing without the help of another person and this independence will not be available unless the fashion industry adapts. The changes that need to be made in stores Tags and labels do…
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The Misrepresentation of Disability on the High Street
Fashion is more than the clothes you wear; it expresses your personality. It provides practicality to your everyday life through holding essential items such as your phone and keys, while also expressing your sense of style. Many people tell you not to judge a book by its cover, yet fashion enables us to understand a lot about a person before we have met them. What happens when the fashion choices you want to wear become uncomfortable and, most importantly, impractical? Why the high street? Despite the misrepresentation of disability in fashion as a whole, let’s focus on the high street as a point of reference as it offers price ranges…
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Fashion + Disability: Is the industry doing enough?
When was the last time you hit the shops looking for your next night out number? Or pressed ‘Add To Cart’ on this season’s must have pieces? It’s a familiar excitement most people know, but for people living with a disability, it isn’t quite so easy. Adaptive clothing is invaluable to those living with a disability, but is almost unheard of within the fashion industry, especially across the realms of fast fashion and chic design. Long flowing fabric can get caught in the wheels of a wheelchair, so kimonos are a no no, and the buttons on jeans are often too difficult for those with motor neuron conditions. Garments with…
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Ostomates are Not to Be Forgotten in Fashion
Inclusivity within fashion has grown at a rapid rate over recent years. Slowly but surely, disabled people are being catered for too. Vast developments are being made in adaptive clothing and its becoming more easily accessible from various dominant brands. However, there is still room for progression in clothing made specific for different disabilities, one of which being ostomy bag wearers. Over 6,400 people undergo ostomy surgery every year. Most clothing that caters for ostomy bags is only available via prescription or at an increased cost. Thus, the market is unsaturated with significant demand. So, why have fashion brands decided not to enter this sector? Shopping when disabled or, more…
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White-Washing and Cultural Pick-Pocketing: Token Diversity and Why it’s a Problem
Why is token diversity so problematic? Does it hold a mirror up to the whitewashed walls of high fashion? Or does it actually reveal the failing mechanics behind an industry dominated for too long by white noise, marred by our inability to confront the issues of underrepresentation? In November 2019, Elle Germany faced backlash after its ‘Back to Black’ issue featured a white model on the cover. Complete with the tagline “Models of colour were never in demand as they are now”, the magazine had made a clear misjudgement. By implying that models of colour are somehow a trend, Naomi Campbell called it “highly insulting” in her address to the…
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Transgender representation in fashion
The transgender community is one of many that suffers a lack of representation in the fashion industry. The good news is that times are changing. 2019 saw the first casting of openly transgender model, Valentina Sampaio by industry giant, Victoria’s Secret, just one year after British Vogue featured it’s first transgender woman, Paris Lees in their February 2018 edition. These turning points represent a long-awaited shift in inclusivity of the trans community, but aside from these headline events, how inclusive really is fashion? In honour of LGBTQ+ History Month, Mindless Mag investigates the truth behind the headlines. Times are changing Over the past couple of decades, the fashion industry has…
