1.4.7 Clothing
Completion requirements
1.4.7 Clothing
Does globalization enrich or threaten your identity?
How we dress makes a statement about who we are. People dress to fit in or to stand out or just to be comfortable. Some wear specific brands to fit into a particular group. One person might wear a Flames jersey or dress like a rapper or wear a cowboy hat, or a baseball cap -backwards, frontwards, or sideways! Some dress in certain ways due to religious practices - such as wearing a turban or a hijab.
Logos and you: Do you care about the logo or label on your clothes? Some teens love to wear brand names. What do these represent? To you, they might just mean a brand that is popular currently or used by people you admire or you want to look like. They may be the style that people in your town or school are wearing. But they are also the brands of huge corporations that encourage young people to wear their clothes so the company can make a profit... and they don't even thank you for advertising for them! Think about how these companies encourage you to buy their clothes. Do their advertising campaigns target particular groups of people?
Logos and you: Do you care about the logo or label on your clothes? Some teens love to wear brand names. What do these represent? To you, they might just mean a brand that is popular currently or used by people you admire or you want to look like. They may be the style that people in your town or school are wearing. But they are also the brands of huge corporations that encourage young people to wear their clothes so the company can make a profit... and they don't even thank you for advertising for them! Think about how these companies encourage you to buy their clothes. Do their advertising campaigns target particular groups of people?
Dress restrictions: In many cultures, dress is much more than style or comfort. The way people dress is an essential part of their culture and their identity.
One example is the hijab worn in Muslim societies. The word represents specifically the clothing worn by Muslim women. In most societies, it is a robe and a headscarf that leaves the face bare. It could involve head to foot robes with a veil covering the entire face. Sometimes, just the headscarf is referred to as the hijab.
The hijab is intended to prevent men from looking at women with sexual intent. It encourages them to look at women with respect. Women wear hijab as a sign of their faith. It must be worn by all women who are in the company of any man who is not a close relative. This is so all Muslim women are respected equally as a matter of social responsibility rather than only for their appearance.
One example is the hijab worn in Muslim societies. The word represents specifically the clothing worn by Muslim women. In most societies, it is a robe and a headscarf that leaves the face bare. It could involve head to foot robes with a veil covering the entire face. Sometimes, just the headscarf is referred to as the hijab.
The hijab is intended to prevent men from looking at women with sexual intent. It encourages them to look at women with respect. Women wear hijab as a sign of their faith. It must be worn by all women who are in the company of any man who is not a close relative. This is so all Muslim women are respected equally as a matter of social responsibility rather than only for their appearance.
The forgotten war
Photo credit: Colleen Uliac
Photo credit: Colleen Uliac
For more information, go to the PBS site " Global Connections" and read "The Veil".
Traditional dress around the world is based on traditions and values and adapted to weather. In the far North, the Inuit wear mukluks and parkas while people might go shirtless in Africa or wear bikinis in Hawaii. Dress is based also on available products such as silk or fur.
Photo credit: Lionel Ng
An amazing variety occurs in the dress of various cultures. The ladies in the photo on the left are members of a small tribe in the northern hills of Viet Nam. Their colourful pompoms are made with acrylic yarn imported from China, but their overall attire is unique to their part of the world. It is one way they tell the world who they are and where they are from.
Attire and globalization: Early missionaries who travelled to foreign lands encouraged native people to "cover up" because they thought it was "right". It was also a way to force
Indigenous people to adopt western ways. This is a form of
acculturation - forcing people to accept the ways of the dominant culture. This happened all over the world - in North and South America, Australia, Africa, and Asia.
Today, traditional dress is becoming less common, and mass-produced western style clothing is becoming more popular everywhere. An Asian man is most likely to wear a business suit for a meeting. An African teenager wears jeans and a T-shirt to show he is modern and westernized.
Homogenization or hybridization? Globalization encourages people to dress in similar ways. People can see the same images of fashion through television, magazines, and the Internet. The global marketplace allows people to buy and wear similar styles and brand names. Yet, as our style of dress becomes more uniform around the world, unique traditions and customs are lost. When people around the world dress the same way, true homogenization of cultures will have occurred. But, when styles are influenced by many cultures, hybridization results.
Homogenization or hybridization? Globalization encourages people to dress in similar ways. People can see the same images of fashion through television, magazines, and the Internet. The global marketplace allows people to buy and wear similar styles and brand names. Yet, as our style of dress becomes more uniform around the world, unique traditions and customs are lost. When people around the world dress the same way, true homogenization of cultures will have occurred. But, when styles are influenced by many cultures, hybridization results.