Final answer:
The author wants to inform readers about fashion trends and how they're started.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author's reason for writing this article is to inform readers about fashion trends and how they're started. The author poses the question of whether we dictate fashion or if fashion tells us what to wear, and then explores how fashion in American culture is determined. The author discusses how clothing makers decide on fashion trends and how they use TV advertisements to influence consumers. The examples of different fashion trends over the decades, such as bell bottoms, straight-leg jeans, and hip-huggers, illustrate how fashion changes over time based on various influences.
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