By: Laleh Panahi
In high school, my friends and I loved fashion. While we wore uniforms, we expressed our personal style through flowing scarves, vintage jewelry, and thrifted jackets, even if it risked us getting detention for violating the dress code. Some girls at our school wore colorful eyeshadow, other girls online shopped for workout sets during class. Whether you love it or hate it, it is undeniable that fashion and beauty trends maintain a massive presence in our lives as young women. The field of fashion is generally assumed to be associated with women, and from elementary school, we are told that having an interest in it is considered “girly”. As we develop, however, we are warned that fashion is a frivolous and unreliable career path.
It is correct to assume that women play a greater role in the consumption of clothing than men. American women spend 76% more on clothing than men per year, amounting to around $2,000 annually. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all women overspend on clothing or are obsessed with fashion. The way clothing items are presented to each gender diverges greatly. It is acceptable for men to rewear suits and tuxedos but frowned upon for a woman to rewear her wedding dress. It costs nearly $2 more to dry clean a woman’s shirt than it does for a man’s. There are also more women working in the industry. There are more women graduating from fashion and design school than men, and over 85% of graduates from fashion schools in the US identify as women.
Despite this, the industry continues to be dominated by men. Only 14% of major clothing brands are run by women. Women continuously face challenges in bringing up promotions and there are limited mentorship opportunities available to them. Similar to other fields, married women with children are discriminated against.
This often goes unnoticed and change is much needed. CDFA chairwoman, Diane Von Fursternberg, states that while sexism in the industry is obvious, it must be talked about so people “can’t pretend it’s not true”. Women need to be recognized for their talent and ambition, and hopefully, the women in our generation will find opportunities for leadership positions in the industry.
Sources:
https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/gender-gap-why-do-men-still-rule-fashion-world
https://rtrshift.com/the-average-american-woman-spends-2000-a-year-to-get-dressed/
https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/study-the-fashion-industry-is-still-run-by-men.html