Fashion Communicates our Personalities
Mikiko Motegi

Fashion is an expression of our character. We can easily show our personalities by wearing our favorite clothes, accessories, shoes and our taste in music. However, recently we tend to lose our identity by following fashion, especially young girls. For this essay, I'm going to write how the entertainment industry influences our tastes.

Entertainment has a great impact on our lives, and young girls are particularly susceptible to that. They are sensitive to trends in fashion because they easily get a lot of information from the media. On the other hand, it becomes harder for them to express their individual character. Around town, we often see young girls whose appearance is similar to others. The reason is that they refer to fashion model's and artist's coordination which is always in magazines or shown on TV shows. Teenagers have a strong longing to be like them so they try to buy the same clothes as the models to approximate them.

For example, Namie Amuro, a tremendously popular singer, is one of the influential persons in Japan . In 1995 to 1996, she was always on TV shows, and her fashion became popular among teenagers. At that time, Namie Amuro wore miniskirts and thick bottom shoes so the towns were full of girls who wore the same clothing. Girls also emulated Namie Amuro's hairstyle, eyebrows and sunburned skin. People called them "Amurer." At present Namie Amuro maintains her popularity however, she is less powerful than in the 1990s.

At this moment, the most effective person in Japan is Tsubasa Masuwaka. She is a fashion model who is always in the hottest magazine, "Popteen." The clothes which were worn by her in magazines or products which were introduced on her blog are out of stock in every shop, because young people buy them to be like Tsubasa Masuwaka. As a result, she affected not only teenagers but also the economy of Japan . Actually in December 2007, the economic benefit related to her popularity was ¥10 billion. This is an amazing occurrence.

The entertainment industry is very potent for us so it has become hard for us to show our personalities by following an individual preference. We can copy from a celebrity's coordination however, we shouldn't forget to express our own character. Fashion is the easiest way to show our individuality, therefore we ought to respect our own coordination and taste.