We generally see fashion as a form of self expression but is that really true? What is seperating fashion between following the herd or standing out from the crowd? Or can art actually be a tool for the artist to express themselves? Expression with fashion is a one big question mark, so let’s dive right in.
On one hand, fashion is just a trend that people follow. It is always a form of expression, but not always a genuine expression. According to Jungian psychology, we don’t really represent our true selves in society. Instead, we put on what Carl Jung calls; personas. He compares a persona to basically a mask that we put on to appeal society and conceal our true self. And if someone just follows fashion trends blindly just for the sake of it, fashion would be nothing more than a mask that we use. Personas, aren’t healthy on their own though. For this I want to quote Jung:
“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regimen of diet, learn the literature of the whole world—all because they cannot get on with themselves and have not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own souls.”
Again according to Jungian psychology, there is also what he ca
lls an “ego”. Ego is the conscious, remember the conscious part I will mention it later, true self of a person. Meaning that fashion can also be a self expression, if it represents the ego.
However, the thing with Jungian psychology is that it argues that we take these personas off in basically places that we feel relaxed in; because our persona usually determines our relationship with society, taking it off can really affect our function in it. So we don’t necessarily take these personas off for long amounts of time, especially in society; but sometimes what we must do is break the norms, stand out from the crowd as they say. And fashion is one of the best ways to do just that. Sometimes, we need the break of not putting on fake masks; sometimes, we deserve the relaxation of not having to worry about anything. We can enjoy these breaks, just moderately.
Another part of Jungian Psychology that must be talked about is the true self, just bear with me on this one. According to him, we can never truly reach our true self. Remember what I said how the ego was the conscious true self? There is also the unconscious true self called a “shadow”. So, for us to actually reach our true self; these two must fuse in a process of individuation. However, to Jung we can never truly reach our true self; we can get as close as we can but individuation can never truly end so we can only show the part that we have gotten to so far.
In a nutshell, fashion is only a tool for the artist. Whether they want to use it as a representation of themselves or their persona is completely up to them. But for a healthy person, we require both to be there.