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Do We Dictate Fashion, or Does Fashion Tell Us What to Wear?

It's like that old chicken and egg question-which came first? How fashion in American culture is determined has puzzled social
scientists for years. Think about it: An ad comes on TV showing a bunch of teenagers all happily wearing a stylish new pair of designer
jeans. You think to yourself, "Hey, that must be what all my friends will be wearing this coming year, so I better go get some!" You just
know you'll be the laughing stock of the school if you aren't wearing those jeans. But how did the clothing maker decide to make this
style of jeans? Did company representatives go out and survey teenagers, showing them a bunch of designs and asking which they
liked? Or did the maker just decide on a fashion, and have its ad writers sell the idea to teens, convincing them that this is the "in" thing
to wear?
Over the past decades, TV commercials for jeans have changed as the fashions shifted. There were bell bottoms in the seventies;
straight-leg jeans in the late eighties and nineties; and now the ads all show hip-huggers for girls, and baggy, low-riding jeans for boys.
What is the author's reason for writing this article?
OA. to explain to readers how clothing companies decide what TV ads to run
OB.
to persuade readers to start wearing clothes that have gone out of style
OC. to inform readers about fashion trends and how they're started
OD.
to convince readers that clothing companies determine what's fashionable
3 of 10 Answered
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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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