Fashion Industry

What does fashion mean for you? How much importance do you give your clothes? Does it really express what you are? These are the usual questions that come to mind when talking about our way of dressing.

Fashion is part of our everyday lives. When you wake up in the morning and put on your clothes, your choice says a lot about you. The way of dressing reflects personal characteristics such us personality, lifestyle, social group, and even how you feel.

By reading some articles, we have gotten the conclusion that fashion is not just numbers and money. It is like an art which involves sensitivity, empathy and other feelings. At the same time, it can be consider as a language, a way of communication. You can express what you want or think by your clothes. Of course, there are others who feel and think similar to you, so they probably wear the same clothe, making you both members of the same style. That is the time when fashion groups appear. People’s styles separate them into different categories which are based on age, occupation, ways of thinking, interests, beliefs, etc. Such groups or trends have marked different periods in the fashion’s world.

Throughout the history, a lot of styles have been present in each decade or period. For example, short skirts, long dresses with big cleavage were special for people living in the 20s , and dressing rock and roller’s cloth was the most popular and cool trend in the 1950’s. That well known style changed later, giving way to one of the most remembered styles in the fashion history: the hippie movement in the 70s. At that time, black and grey clothes were changed by colorful and flowery ones.

Nowadays, fashion has been adapting itself to the different people’s likes which are more liberal, giving way to the formation of the well known urban tribes. We have been witnesses of how these tribes have changed almost totally the way of dressing, especially in teenagers. In the past, it seemed impossible to happen, but now, it is common to see teenagers with extravagant styles such as dyed hair, tattoos and piercings, wearing ripped and dirty trousers etc. Even, we dare say that those who do not belong to this new fashion trends are considered as old-fashioned people.

It is known that fashion comes and goes, so nobody can say what the correct style is to be followed. For example, today, we are able to find people whose styles were an unforgettable boom, and nowadays, they are being used again. And there are others that have not been so famous, but they have lasted throughout the years like hip hop, rap, and others.

The big power of fashion is so huge that it can even change completely our minds. It is increased when people we regard as icons follow this fashion. To make it clear, we can think of the famous pop singer Lady Gaga who has changed the lives of many people with her eccentric and extravagant style. She has made popular that strange and daring way of dressing. For example, one of the most controversial situations to be mentioned was when she wore a complete outfit made of meat during the last MTV Show in 2011, causing an unpleasant incident and creating a disgusting situation. Many people in favor of the protection of animals protested against this polemic event, but Gaga did not care about it and now, she continues using clothes made of different kinds of materials, all of them very unusual ones. Good or not, her fans around the world want to imitate such style. Together with this famous pop star, we can find another fashion’s icons such us Elvis Presley and his well known rock and roll style, Madonna, and the famous designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada whose styles have defined them as fashion’s icons.

Being conscious about how important the fashion world is for us, it is the time to think about who is behind of all this. Who are the responsible to please the whims of fashion and make the exact piece of clothe depending on our style?

There are many people in charge of dealing with our clothing likes, but it all boils down to two words: Fashion Industry. It is one of the biggest global industries and people who work for this kind business make millions dollars every year. All this is thanks to us: the consumers. It is generally agreed that many people do not worry about money when buying. There are some who are willing to pay any price to get a piece of clothe they think it is the only and perfect one, and for some of us, going shopping is one the favorite activities to do.

In one sense, businesspeople that work for this industry are responsible for this fashion’s fever, for influencing our choices through advertisements, advertising campaigns, etc., making us just accept the new trends. That is why it is said that fashion’s market is based on seduction and provocation. That is the trade secret of fashion. Clients are tempted not only by low prices, but also by the design, the use and kinds of materials, etc.

Going to the history of fashion, it is said in some documents that this industry is a product of the modern age. The first appearance of fashion industry was is Europe and America, but today, it covers all the places around the world, becoming an important international business.

Through a deep analysis of this industry, we have found some advantages and disadvantages that you, as a consumer, should know:

Some of the advantages are:

· Together with satisfying our fashion’s needs, it is an important source of employment which has been increasing as time has passed. Such fact does not seem to stop because of the great people’s demands.

· It adapts itself to the different people’s like, so nobody has to follow a style just because there are no others.

Thinking about the drawbacks, we can mention the following negative aspects that get fashion into a superficial and unfeeling industry:

· Together with all the fame, wealth and status related with this industry. There is a huge problem that had been always present. It is not just a significant business which earns an immense amount of money per year, but an industry that has been criticized because of the stereotypes that creates. In a sense, some industries promote a harmful model, the perfect woman dressing the ideal clothe with a wonderful figure, where the definition of perfection means to be a person with low weight. This has a cost in the health of many people, so healthy problems are attached to this stereotype. Eating disorders are the most common one. Many models try to be “perfect”, going as far as to suffer bulimia because of the pressure of feeling slim.

· The anorexia is other issue to consider. It is an eating and psychologist disorder by which the people lose the control of themselves and are incapable to recognize their health problems. Some symptoms of this are the distortion of the image and the wish of losing weight rapidly. It is important that the fashion industry implement models of woman more realist and consider how to prevent the health of its models and the possible people who can follow this stereotypes. Currently, the council of fashion has implemented some specifications related to be a model, pointing out various aspects, such as a minimal weight, a certificate of good health, a balance diet, etc.

· Since ever, the fashion industry has used eccentric material. One of the most controversial is the use of animal’s skins, such as fox´s or zebra’s skin. With the apparition of ecologist groups or defense animals groups like “Swiss Animals Protection East/International”, this problem has changed a bit. Nevertheless, the industry tries to continue using this way to create new pieces of clothe.

· Many animals are wounded or electrocuted repeatedly. Later, those ones are used to make coats, hats, scarves or sleeves. To confirm this, there are many videos on internet where we can appreciate these disgusting human acts. Fortunately, some dressmakers have eliminated this kind of material after seeing these videos. But, after all, there are some artists, like the well known Jenifer Lopez, that refuse to get rid of their collection of clothes made of animals’ skin.

Considering the pros and against of the fashion industry, we should think of how we can make a change in the fashion world. How can we make the big industries take a real commitment? Firstly, it has to be a general conscience. The pressure from the people can make a considerable difference. There must be more control and sanctions for those who break the law and a reconnaissance for the ones that take care of the nature and animals, the material they use to make their collections and the collaterals effects.

This is the amazing fashion’s world. As everything, it will always have a negative and a positive side. So in this case, the important thing is to be aware of what fashion means for you and to make a balance between your whims and your reality. So look at what you are wearing today, are you expressing what you are or are you a fashion’s victim?

The million Dollar Bond Robbery v/s The Gold Bug (definitive version)

It is said that Good writers are those who are able to make the readers feel as if they were living the story on their own, they can feel part of it, and they are even able to predict the events. A piece text well written and with a high quality does not allow the reader stop reading. Thinking about Agatha Christy’s story, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, and Edgar Alan Poe’s, The Gold Bug, I dare say that the way they write can do this.

In The Million Dollar Bond Robbery we are told about a robbery that took place in a ship, the Olympia. Unfortunately, what was stolen was not a common thing, but a million dollars worth of Liberty Bonds which the London and Scottish Bank were sending to New York. Mr. Poirot, a kind of detective and Captain Hastings, his partner, are asked to solve the case by a lady called Esmeé Farquhar who was engaged to Philip Ridgeway (the man that was in charge of carrying the bonds to New York). After making some inquiries and interrogating many people, the great Mister Poirot was able to find out the robber, who was one of the most unexpected people, Mister Shaw, one of the two join general managers of the bank.

The Gold Bug basically tells the story of a man called Legrand who found a golden bug which, together with a parchment, let him discover the instructions to find a millionaire treasure that had been hidden by a not very known pirate, Captain Kidd. He was able to find it out thanks to a draft of the gold bug that he had made for a friend of him on a piece of parchment. The heat of the fire that was near them made a secret message appears on the piece of paper. After decoding the message, which had been written with special ink and was visible just when it was heat, Legrand, his old African servant Jupiter, and his friend, who was the narrator of the story, went for the treasure, following word by word the instructions of the found parchment. More than one hundred diamonds, pearls, stones and jewels were inside of he chest they found, which become them all very rich.

Thinking about the similarities that can be found comparing the two stories, it can be said that they had the same main topic. It was money. In Agatha Christie’s story, The million dollar bond robbery, we are able to see mister Shaw’s shrewd, the robber, to make everybody think that the bonds had been stolen by any other person but not him. In Agatha Christi’s, The Gold Bug, we were told about the finding of a golden insect which was the key to find a valuable hidden treasure. But there is one difference to take into account: in the first story, Mister Shaw tried to steal the money. On the other hand, in “The gold Bug”, Legrand found, unintentionally, the instructions to find the treasure.

Another similarity is that either of the two endings of the stories is solved just by the end. Poe’s piece of text is a detective one, which does not let us find the robber out till the complete story is read. Likewise, Agatha Christy’s acts in that way too because the readers are expectant all the time, waiting to discover if the secret hidden treasure is real or not. Such writing style gives us the nod to think of our own hypotheses and makes the stories more interesting to read.

Alike extension is another likeness that both pieces of text have. They are not so long, so it makes them advisable for those who do not like reading long stories. The structure and the way by which the stories are narrated are also similar. Both start with a matter that needs to be solved, both of them are looking for something. In Poe’s what needs to be found is the robber and the Liberty Bonds, and in Christy’s, the incognita of the secret message is what requires solution.

The kind of narrator in The Gold Bug can be defined as witness narrator because who tells the story is, at the same time, part of it and it is narrated is narrated in first person. We are never told about the identity of the narrator. He just participates and tells the events as they happen. Similarly, in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, the events are told by a witness narrator from his point of view, who tells the story in first person.

Even though both pieces of text have some relevant similarities, they have some specifics characteristics which make them differ from each other. Semantically talking, The million dollar bond Robbery can be more difficult to understand because of the many words whose meaning the readers may not know. So it might need to be read more than once whereas The gold Bug can be considered easier to grasp since the vocabulary used by the author is more simple.

Context is another important difference to consider. Talking about the place where both stories are happened, we are able to realize that The Million Dollar Bond Robbery takes place in The UK, being the story a serious business matter while The gold bug’s facts are happened on a small island fourteen kilometers from Charleston in America, and, in such way, it is not so serious as the Million dollar Bond Robbery is.

The characters are also different in each story. Poe’s story main characters are business people and, in certain way, they belong to an upper social class while in Christy’s the characters do not have such high social level, minding that Legrand was even very poor when he found the gold bug.

There is another difference related to the quantity of characters in each story. There are more people in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. For example, we can mention Mister Vavasour and Mister Shaw, who were the two joint general managers of the bank, Philip Ridgeway, the person in charge of carrying the bonds to New York, Miss Fhaquar who was Mister Ridgeway’s fiancé, Mister Poirot, the detective in charge of the case and his inseparable partner Captain Hastings, inspector McNeil, the other detective in charge of the case, to mention just some of them. In contrast, there are just three important characters in The gold bug story. They are Legrand, who found the bug, his old African servant, Jupiter, and Legrand’s friend, the narrator, whose name is never mentioned. The relationship between them is also closer as they were friends. On the other hand, in Poe’s story, the relationship between the characters is mainly the relation of people who work for the same company, in this case, the London and Scottish bank.

Looking for the differences yet, we can realize that in both stories, the characters are looking for something. But the difference is that what they look for is completely different in each story. One looks for the robber, and the other looks for a millionaire treasure. To make it more understandable, it can be said that in one story, the money has been stolen, involving bad values like dishonesty, wickedness and betrayal, that is why the robber is wanted. In the other one, the money has been hidden by a seaman, and it was more like a lucky strike and does not involve the bad values mentioned in Poe’s piece od text.

Now, personally talking about the two stories, I consider both of them interesting enough. Either The Million Dollar Bond Robbery or the Gold Bug casts the doubt on the ending of the story. They make the reader create their own hypotheses about the final events. That makes them more interesting to be read and special for those who enjoy reading stories with an exciting ending.

Referring to the writing style of both authors I can say that it is similar in certain way. Both are able to catch the reader’s attention and use an interesting topic. Although the topic used in both stories is different mainly because of the context, they both can be considered as excellent pieces of text.

The Gold Bug is aimed at every kind of readers, including children because it is easy to understand and read, and the vocabulary used is basic. On the other hand, the Million Dollar Bond Robbery is more recommended for adult people because the topic used is related to business, so somehow it can result a little boring to read. But as it was said at the beginning, it is a detective story, and that can become it more attractive.

In conclusion, either The Million Dollar Bond Robbery or The Gold Bug is a recommendable piece of text. They are all short, understandable and interesting. It is obvious the excellent writing style that Agatha Christy and Edgar Alan Poe have to write such high pieces of text. It is known that both of them have a great passion for literature, dedicating very much time of their lives, in which such great skill is reflected. I am pretty sure that they can be an example for us to become a good writer.

The million Dollar Bond Robbery v/s The Gold Bug

It is said that Good writers are those who are able to make the readers feel as if they were living the story on their own, they can feel part of it, and they are even able to predict the events. A piece text well written and with a high quality does not allow the reader stop reading. Thinking about Agatha Christy’s story, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, and Edgar Alan Poe’s, The Gold Bug, I dare say that the way they write can do this.

In The Million Dollar Bond Robbery story we are told about a robbery that took place in a ship, the Olympia. Unfortunately, what was stolen was not a common thing, but a million dollars worth of Liberty Bonds which the London and Scottish Bank were sending to New York. Mr. Poirot, a kind of detective and Captain Hastings, his partner, are asked to solve the case by a lady called Esmeé Farquhar who was engaged to Philip Ridgeway (the man that was in charge of carrying the bonds to New York). After making some inquiries and interrogating many people, the great Mister Poirot was able to find out the robber, who was one of the most unexpected people, Mister Shaw, one of the two join general managers of the bank.

The Gold Bug basically tells the story of a man called Legrand who found a golden bug which, together with a parchment, let him discover the instructions to find a millionaire treasure that had been hidden by a not very known pirate, Captain Kidd. He was able to find it out thanks to a draft of the gold bug that he had made for a friend of him on a piece of parchment. The heat of the fire that was near them made a secret message appears on the piece of paper. After decoding the message, which had been written with special ink and was visible just when it was heat, Legrand, his old African servant Jupiter, and his friend, who was the narrator of the story, went for the treasure, following word by word the instructions of the found parchment. More than one hundred diamonds, pearls, stones and jewels were inside of he chest they found, which become them all very rich.

Thinking about the similarities, it can be said that they had the same main topic. It was money. In Agatha Christie’s story, The million dollar bond robbery, we are able to see the mister Shaw’s shrewd, the robber, to make everybody think that the bonds had been stolen by any other person but not him. In Agatha Christi’s, The Gold Bug, we were told about the finding of a golden insect which was the key to find a valuable hidden treasure. But there is one difference to take into account: in the first story, Mister Shaw tried to steal the money. On the other hand, in “The gold Bug”, Legrand found, unintentionally, the instructions to find the treasure.

Another similarity is that either of the two ending of the stories is solved just by the end. Poe’s piece of text is a detective one, which does not let us find the robber out till the complete story is read. Likewise, Agatha Christy’s acts in that way too because the readers are expectant all the time, waiting to discover if the secret hidden treasure is real or not. Such writing style gives us the nod to think of our own hypotheses and makes the stories more interesting to read.

Alike extension is another likeness that both pieces of text have. They are not so long, so it makes them advisable for those who do not like reading long stories. The structure and the way by which the stories are narrated are also similar. Both start with a matter that needs to be solved, both of them are looking for something. In Poe’s what needs to be found is the robber and the Liberty Bonds, and in Christy’s, the incognita of the secret message is what requires solution.

Even though both pieces of text have some relevant similarities, they have some specifics characteristics which make them differ from each other. Semantically talking, The million dollar bond Robbery can be more difficult to understand because of the many words whose meaning the readers may not know. So it might need to be read more than once whereas The gold Bug can be considered easier to grasp since the vocabulary used by the author is more simple.

Context is another important difference to consider. Talking about the place where both stories are happened, we are able to realize that The Million Dollar Bond Robbery takes place in The UK, being the story a serious business matter while The gold bug’s facts are happened on a small island fourteen kilometers from Charleston in America, and, in such way, it is not so serious as the Million dollar Bond Robbery is.

The characters are also different in each story. Poe’s story main characters are business people and, in certain way, they belong to an upper social class while in Christy’s the characters do not have such high social level, minding that Legrand was even very poor when he found the gold bug.

There is another difference related to the quantity of characters in each story. There are more people in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. For example, we can mention Mister Vavasour and Mister Shaw, who were the two joint general managers of the bank, Philip Ridgeway, the person in charge of carrying the bonds to New York, Miss Fhaquar who was Mister Ridgeway’s fiancé, Mister Poirot, the detective in charge of the case and his inseparable partner Captain Hastings, inspector McNeil, the other detective in charge of the case, to mention just some of them. In contrast, there are just three important characters in The gold bug story. They are Legrand, who found the bug, his old African servant, Jupiter, and Legrand’s friend, the narrator, whose name is never mentioned. The relationship between them is also closer as they were friends. On the other hand, in Poe’s story, the relationship between the characters is mainly the relation of people who work for the same company, in this case, the London and Scottish bank.

Looking for the differences yet, we can realize that in both stories, the characters are looking for something. But the difference is that what they look for is completely different in each story. One looks for the robber, and the other looks for a millionaire treasure. To make it more understandable, it can be said that in one story, the money has been stolen, involving bad values like dishonesty, wickedness and betrayal, that is why the robber is wanted. In the other one, the money has been hidden by a seaman, and it was more like a lucky strike and does not involve the bad values mentioned in Poe’s piece od text.

Now, personally talking about the two stories, I consider both of them interesting enough. Either The Million Dollar Bond Robbery or the Gold Bug casts the doubt on the ending of the story . They make the reader create their own hypotheses about the final events. That makes them more interesting to be read and special for those who enjoy reading stories with an exciting ending.

Referring to the writing style of both authors I can say that it is similar in certain way. Both are able to catch the reader’s attention and use an interesting topic. Although the topic used in both stories is different mainly because of the context, they both can be considered as excellent pieces of text.

The kind of narrator in The Gold Bug can be defined as omniscient narrator because who tells the story is, at the same time, part of it and it is narrated is narrated in third person. We are never told about the identity of the narrator. He just participates and tells the events as they happen. In comparison, in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, the events are told by a witness narrator from his point of view.

The Gold Bug is aimed at every kind of readers, including children because it easy to understand and read, and the vocabulary used is basic. On the other hand, the Million Dollar Bond Robbery is more recommended for adult people because the topic used is related to business, so it can result a little boring to read. But as it was said at the beginning, it is a detective story, and that can become it more attractive.

In conclusion, either The Million Dollar Bond Robbery or The Gold Bug is a recommendable piece of text. They are all short, understandable and interesting. It is obvious the excellent writing style that Agatha Christy and Edgar Alan Poe have to write such high pieces of text. It is known that both of them have a great passion for literature, dedicating very much time of his lives, in which such great skill is reflected. I am pretty sure that they can be an example to become a good writer.