From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
The term 'fashion' usually applies to a prevailing mode of expression, but quite often applies to a personal mode of expression that may or may not apply to all. Inherent in the term is the idea that the mode will change more quickly than the
culture as a whole. The terms "fashionable" and "unfashionable" are employed to describe whether someone or something fits in with the current popular mode of expression. The term "fashion" is frequently used in a positive sense, as a synonym for
glamour and style. In this sense, fashions are a sort of communal
art, through which a culture examines its notions of
beauty and
goodness. The term "fashion" is also sometimes used in a negative sense, as a synonym for
fads,
trends, and
materialism.
See also