Abstract
In Medieval and Puritan times, moralists framed the following of new fashions and the pursuit of novelties as frivolity, pride and excess, while today discourses about overconsumption, unsustainable industry practices, and distance from producers take on ethical and moral tones sometimes being attributed to greed or apathy. This research traces these moralizing discourses and the terms they use, comparing particular fashions or dress behaviours that were considered immoral on the basis of wastefulness of time and resources (including money) in each time period. In Medieval times, long trains and wide sleeves were often considered wasteful and frivolous by moralists. Likewise, in the Puritan era, the extravagant use of time in preparing complex appearances was condemned. Today, the Western world’s consumption patterns are seen to be problematic. This research looks for patterns and similarities among the damned fashion practices, and highlights the differences in ways the discourse is framed. For example, in Medieval and Puritan times, morality was framed in relation to God and sin, while present day discourses assume a common morality that overlooks God or religion.
Highlights
Opposition to new clothing styles and frequent changes of fashion has accompanied fashion since its beginnings in the medieval period (Heller 2010), and has persisted to this day, at times in an outright condemning manner and at times taking on more subtle moral tones
Some fashion enthusiasts have joined the movement, calling for long-term, systemic change, even while others continue to post shopping hauls on YouTube. It is in this atmosphere of varying standards, general awareness of pollution and climate problems on a global scale, and no universal system of morality to fall on that critics of our day speak out about the issues they see within the fashion industry
The difference is that they state spiritual reasons and motivations for moral action, and wrong internal motivations for actions that are called out as unjust or unethical (RELEVANT; Horsley)
Summary
Opposition to new clothing styles and frequent changes of fashion has accompanied fashion since its beginnings in the medieval period (Heller 2010), and has persisted to this day, at times in an outright condemning manner and at times taking on more subtle moral tones. The passages I selected focus on criticism of what is seen as excessive attention to changing fashions and absurd or outrageous styles Such attention and pursuit of novelty is framed in these examples as prideful, immoderate, wasteful, frivolous, foul, financially unwise, sinful, foolish, leading to damnation, and caused by corruption in the heart or the overpowering influence of the Devil and his demons. This chapter will give a brief overview of both Puritan and Anglican views on clothing, as well as an outline of shifts in the textile and clothing industries, ways of thinking, and fashionable styles during this period With this information as a backdrop, we will look at texts that reflect contemporary moralistic attitudes towards concerns such as: the accumulation of many garments, the use of time and money on clothing, and excessive use of resources. Significant shifts in ways of thinking and living that occurred in the Western world from around 1950 to today provide context for these statements
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