Clothing and Culture
Clothing, in the modern definition, is considered to be fiber or textiles that are worn on humans, and one of the anthropological features of human culture and society. The type (color, style, fit) of clothing is typically dependent upon a number of variables -- geography, weather, gender, status, physical state, work activities, and even status symbols. From a practical standpoint, clothing serves as protection from external weather, or for safety reasons (constructing, cooking, hiking, sports); it may protect the wearer from flora and fauna (nettles, bites, thorns); it may insulate against hot or cold conditions; and may even provide a hygienic barrier. Often, studying the aspects of clothing and society tells scholars a great deal about the particular culture -- not just in external appearance but in the technology of textile production, weaving, and adornment (Boucher & Deslandres, 1989).
Evolution of Clothing Styles: Scholars are uncertain as to the exact development of clothing as more than furs worn for warmth and protection, but studies show that the introduction of formal clothing began between 42 and 72 thousand years ago (Wade, 2003). The most obvious function of clothing was to improve the comfort of the wearer -- protect from the elements, and thus ensure survival of the species. However, as societies coalesced into urban areas and stratification of activities occurred (art, law, governance, baking, agriculture, animal husbandry, etc.), clothing began to perform a wide range of social and cultural functions that differentiated individuals, class, gender, religion, and even age. Clothing has been made of a wide variety of materials ranging from leather and fur to woven materials both natural and synthetic. As societies developed, clothing sometimes served in an exaggerated way to separate economic and social status and moved from being practical to becoming overly decorative. In the modern area, wearing clothes continues to have social implications -- witness youth in the developed world believing they need certain styles to fit in with their peers, and rather than wearing clothing to be function, clothing is worn to make a social...
Lands' End: An American Company Gone Global Identify an American-Based company that has expanded Internationally Lands' End, Inc. is a direct merchant of traditionally styled casual clothing for men, women, children, accessories, shoes, soft luggage, and home products [www.landsend, com, Investor Relations Home Profile, 2002]. The company offers its products through multiple selling channels. It sells through a series of general and specialty catalogs, mailed directly to its customers. It sells through
Exporting apparel to France would reveal a slightly similar difference. As integrant part of the European Union, France has removed numerous financial barriers in relationship to other EU member states. It has however intensified its barriers relative to product quality and sanitary standards. In terms of the direct relationship between France and the United States, this is generally a positive one, revealing mutual gains and lack of controversy. Efforts are
2% of the population is younger than 14; 58.2% is aged between 15 and 64 and 3.6% is over the age of 65. This affect Giam's in a positive way as most of the population is properly aged to work The median age of the population is 20.2 years, with 19.9 years for men and 20.4 years for women The birth rate is of 29.85 births per 1000 individuals The death rate is
However, although Machiavelli held firm in his belief that the Church should not have the same governing functions as the State, he provided the example of Pope Julius in demonstrating how, if a religious leader holds firm to his beliefs and manner of disciplining his clergy, he can establish a strong clergy and can yield influence and power over the State and civil society. In describing Pope Julius's leadership style,
Art Fashion Ever since fashion has evolved, we have an observed a significant relationship with art and fashion. It is seen that both the disciplines encourages, inspires and somewhat competes with each other. (Duggan, 2001) It is observed that artists and fashion designers creativity is exchangeable and their main objective is somewhat the same. Duggan (2001) also emphasized on the role of media and education in blurring up the boundaries between
Finally it also represented an important means of conducting the foreign policy from the point-of-view of the French occupation. In this sense, "the North America fur trade of the 17th and 18th centuries had usually been viewed, until recently, as merely another commercial enterprise governed by the premise "buy cheap, sell dear" in order to rip the maximum of profit. Of late the Canadian end of the trade has
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now