Issue 3: Should you study Media?

Should You Study Media? -LVG

Choosing Alevels can seem like a high demand especially as most of us aren't certain what career path we want to take and who we want to be. 

I remember being certain about two of my choices as they were simply carrying on from subjects I had chosen at GCSE, however Media I chose simply because I knew my sister had chosen it and highly recommended it. After a few months I began to realise how diverse studying media could be and it's ability to bring all my interests together.  At AS level we were asked to produce a magazine cover and content page, although print media can be seen as a dying craft this taught me many transferable skills besides creativity such as the relationship between image and text, intertextuality, marketing and mass communication. We were given the opportunity to learn basic photoshop skills and although photoshop is often highly criticised for producing negative body views it has become integrated into societies simulacrum, this means photo retouching has now become a lucrative career. At A Level we were given the task of producing a film trailer and DVD cover using Final cut pro which is highly used within the media industry.

Despite the influence of the Media on our daily lives, universities and politicians continue to disregard Media as a true subject preferring students to specialise, for example Journalist  should study Journalism rather than Media and sound technicians should focus on studying sound technology. In continuing to study Media at university  for me the focus has been more on analysing media than producing physical products and although I understand there are other courses with a more practical focus I believe analysis skills are just as important to have. Analysing media crosses over into sociology and gives studying Media the ability to diversify in potential career paths. For those of us who are creative and willing to freelance to gain experience media is defiantly a valid subject to study. 

Issue 2: Cultural Couture

Cultural Couture-LVG

RUNWAY ROBES & RUFFLES, COULD YOUR CULTURUAL HERITAGE BE A NEW TYPE OF COUTURE? - YOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE IS PERFECTLY MADE TO MEASURE BUT SHOULD YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO EMBRACE IT.  

(This entry was initially written as a submission to Haute Arabia) 

The debate between feminism and fashion is on going as we question weather representations of women within the fashion industry can ever truly be as empowering as they are objectifying.  As multiculturalism continues to spread across the world we observe how cultural wear disappears and societies idea of the norm dominates. Although Feminist appeals urge for women to not feel pressured to conform to mass media standards there is a continuation of a lack of representation of diversity within the fashion industry.

Channel 4’s recent plus size wars documentary grabbed Britain’s attention to women’s growing waistlines with its aim at empowerment, however it soon gained backlash by those suggesting it encourages obesity.  When considering the lack of plus sized women present in making decisions within fashion organisations it’s understandable why they aren’t represented in the media and the need for a documentary highlighting the changing consumer. 

Could this also be applicable to the lack of cultural diversity within the fashion industry, Would the face of our most iconic fashion magazines and brands be more diverse if those in charge of production were from more varied backgrounds?

Photo: @KhloeKardashian Instagram

Staying fashionable yet true to your own cultural heritage can be seen as a feminist battle not only because of the lack of representation of different ethnicities within fashion media, but the lack of differentiation in presenting cultural attires. Integrating cultural styles not only inspires the creation of new trends but also empowers women that their culture is just as iconic and beautiful as any other. Growing up in Britain I hadn’t previously considered until writing this article what the cultural attire is based on my Caribbean background and it dawned on me that, I’m likely not the only person curious about their fashion cultural heritage. It’s time for us to confidently reinvent our cultural couture and express the multicultural nations that we are.  With celebrities such as Khloe Kardashian causing controversy from embracing cultural wear other than their own, it seems finally attention to cultural attire is being highlighted and debated. We may not all be able to agree on the difference between embracing cultures and mocking but we can’t deny the  dominance of western representations of style and beauty. Is it our civic responsibility to change the fashion industry through protests, boycotts and trendsetting or should the fashion industry take responsibility for itself?

Cultural empowerment and diversity should be the future of the fashion industry, discover yourself and dress truly according to who you are. Fashion and beauty were developed to help us enhance who we already are we shouldn’t forget that.

Issue 1: The Deathly Consequences of Fashion

The Deathly Consequences of Fashion-lvg

(This entry was initially written for my uni assignment but hopefully still an interesting read!) 

How many times have we struggled through our cluttered wardrobes procrastinating over what to wear? We tell ourselves an unplanned event will suddenly create a need for the forgotten dress and the outdated pair of shoes although we can’t actually remember the last time they've seen sunlight. Despite charities continuously appealing for old clothes to sell and donate to those less in need we convince ourselves we have nothing to wear and preserve our old clothes because of the memories they symbolize. 

In early 2000 Lucy Shea coined the term ‘Swishing’ as a way of defining our increased consumption and love of shopping. This aligned with the newer term ‘Refashion’ thus giving hope that we can be fashionable yet green. According to Oxfordshire council approximately £660,000 is spent yearly land-filling over 8,000 tonnes of clothes, shoes and fabrics despite the fact they could all have been recycled. Attempting to decompose these materials in landfills emits methane gaswhich although colourless and odourless, reduces the amount of Oxygen in the air causing a loss of consciousness in both humans and animals. 

Annual events such as Oxford’s refashion encourage whole communities to reconsider their lifestyles in order to preserve the environment for future generations whilst giving a second life to our old clothes. Refashion refers to not only recycling clothes but also restyling older items to fit current trends whilst swishing enables us to swap items with other people. 

Despite living in Oxford for the past three years I felt unaware of the award winningRefashion eventuntil I was asked by Amy Bridgford who is the Recycling Liaison Officer of Oxford City Council and organizer of Refashion to voluntarily photograph for their website.  It was surprising to see people of all ages and from a range of diverse backgrounds getting involved with donating, swishing, repairing and modelling old clothes. This social event which collaborates with Oxford Fashion Week fuelled originality and creativity from items previously we would consider only suitable for clothes banks and charity shops. Notable charities held stalls such as Helen and Douglas House as well as opportunities to learn crafts were given by Orinoco who encourage swishing all year round at their Oxford store.  Initially I had come to the event through my keen interest in fashion related media but I left feeling inspired by the hundreds of attendees that it’s time I give my old clothes a new home and a new lease on life. 

Events such as these tend to happen on much smaller scales nationally however I believe if endorsed by more local councils and promoted on larger scales, the way we choose to recycle could reform our environment creating cleaner air for all of us. For most of us recycling old clothes means simply leaving them as hand-me-downs for siblings and relatives and we never consider how beneficial our items could be too a stranger or how they can be manipulated to suit current trends. 

As citizens of not only England but globally I feel we are all accountable for producing a greener future, surely we would all assume oxygen is a basic human right? 

We take Oxygen for granted the same way as we take our old clothes for granted, assuming it will always be there because it always has been. We can help the environment and stay fashionable whilst protecting our bank accounts if we simply consider repairing, donating, swapping, selling or recycling our old clothes before binning them. It’s time to consider how our love of fashion could have deadly consequences on not only our future but generations to come. 

For more information on Oxford's Refashion event please visit Brookes TV News for our live interview with Refashion Organizers and Orinoco.