Darwin and Fashion

The very definition of following's one's dreams nowadays has been blighted by a sort of neo-capitalism - bureaucracy defies raw talent. Following the post-war period to the present day, the world - and very much so the West - has engaged so much in the rhetoric of freedom and creating equal access for all that it seems to have somewhat permitted a free-for-all mentality across, well, pretty much everything. This is especially so in the UK where the government's gradual need to create equal opportunity has resorted in a generation that presume getting a degree in a subject is a sufficient basis for qualification. Compared with 40 years ago, there are now over 400 universities in the UK with half of the generation looking to get on in life by pursuing further study. The scary thing is this (aside from the decreasing employability of graduates upon leaving their conventional schooling), in lacking the drive for experience and adventure, how can one ever promote individuality? And with the inner presumption that following a conventional path of study or predestined avenue of training will lead to the career of one's dreams, how can we ever manifest creativity, or the desire to be different?

Is it beauty, glamour or the desire to tap into the unconventional that urges people to get into the fashion industry? Perhaps to a certain extent it's because we as women consider ourselves to be endowed already with a certain degree of fashion sense - as if it's some god-given right. It is undoubtedly a question of creativity. Or perhaps it's because at its most fundamental level, being in fashion is not so much about glamour and status associated with the industry as it is about the insurmountable power of image and personal expression; not just in society, but as a product of our biological make-up. And because we are human. Imagine we were all naked, walking about the streets. After a while (or longer for others), you would naturally try and cover yourself up and then would seek to find style in the way you cover yourself up. Humans, by their very nature - and in their very nakedness - seek to achieve individuality. This is simply Darwinian evolution in the 21st century.