Text selected: Taste, Fashion and the French Fashion Magazine by Sandra Miller.

We all know what a fashion magazine looks like. Pages packed with brands, luxury items and ads with thin figures in designer clothes; things that many seem to think of as unnecessary and unimportant. However, these publications play a fundamental role as trendsetters and act as a examples of “good taste”.

Magazines emerged in 1672 around the Age of Reason or also called the Enlightenment. This movement believed that reason provided the only way for humanity to evolve and thereupon, magazines were influenced by it as well. In fact, time after they originated, these publications started featuring both fashion and “taste”. This so-called “taste” came to life to describe a reality influenced by the judgement of the individual and its cultural, economic and political surrounding, something that magazines seize to effectively communicate visually era after era.

For these philosophers of the Enlightenment, “taste” was a way of setting a base for all judgement of any aesthetic experiences. The purpose of it was being able to express individual thoughts in a way that they could be understood universally. In other words, establish what meant the idea of “disliking” or “liking” a work of art. However, although everyone can determine their own idea of beauty, these philosophers considered that only those qualified could distinguish between “good and bad taste”.

In my point of view, I completely agree with what Sandra Miller describes in the text. For instance, someone’s background, their traditions and culture will affect their appreciation towards art. However, I disagree with the idea of an existing “bad taste”. To me all subjective matters are far too attached with someone’s personality and what they are used to see. What good taste might be considered in the Western world will be completely different in an African or Indian society. For this reason, I consider “bad taste” to be only possible when it doesn’t adapt itself to your style or your individuality.

I do believe that with the high impact of adverts we receive every day, it is very easy to get influenced by trends and mimic these in our outfits, making our personality almost invisible through our outer appearance. However, it is time to take advantage of the broad market offer and push our taste to the surface. Taste is something to embrace and never to be ashamed of.

Bibliography: 

HISTORY.com. 2017. Enlightenment – Facts & Summary – HISTORY.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment. [Accessed 01 December 2017].

2017. Why Fashion Magazines Matter – The Atlantic. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/why-fashion-magazines-matter/385457/. [Accessed 01 December 2017].

Already Pretty | Where style meets body image. 2017. What is Taste? – Already Pretty | Where style meets body image. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.alreadypretty.com/what-is-taste/. [Accessed 01 December 2017].

Fashion: A look at Style vs Taste | Smart Creative Women. 2017. Fashion: A look at Style vs Taste | Smart Creative Women. [ONLINE] Available at: http://smartcreativewomen.com/fashion-a-look-at-style-vs-taste/. [Accessed 03 December 2017].

HuffPost. 2017. What Is Fashion Sense and Why Don’t I Have Any? | HuffPost. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-jackson-/what-is-fashion-sense-and_b_9276598.html. [Accessed 03 December 2017].

The Devil Wears Prada, 2006. [DVD] David Frankel, United States: 20th Century Fox.