Studies on conformity indicate that the actions of others significantly influence an individual’s behavior. An individual is likely to imitate the behavior of other people in a social group (Griskevicius, Goldstein, et al., 2006). Conformity is, therefore, the modification of behavior to match the beliefs and expectations of other people. Various social motives encourage conformity. For instance, the fashion industry has seen a bulging number of men and women conform to the pressure of fashion dictates. Several social factors can influence an individual to conform to the pressure in the industry.
Research has shown that an individual is more likely to imitate a person they like (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2019). For instance, an individual may imitate a famous musician or model. Other people tend to emulate their favorite media personalities. Some of these celebrities are unknown to the individuals, but they still emulate them. The celebrities may, therefore, influence the fashion choices of their admirers. Studies indicate that people tend to associate a particular brand to the personality of its user (Aagerup, 2018). The fashion design used by their favorite personality may, therefore, influence individuals' conformity to the fashion pressure. People tend to follow their favorite celebrities on social media platforms to keep up with their fashion dictates.
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Fashion companies also use attractive models or well-built men to advertise their designs. The consumers create user imagery in their mind that associates the fashion design with the attractiveness of the models. When individuals associate the attractiveness to the fashion design, they are likely to choose it and conform to its dictates. People can also form this user imagery through observation of real fashion users (Aagerup, 2018). For instance, in the workplace, if most individuals like a particular fashion design, an individual is likely to choose the same design. This can also be influenced by the fact that the real-word user is an influential individual in the workplace. The choice of fashion by friends or workmates has a considerable influence on the choice of fashion and conformity to its dictates.
References
Aagerup, U. (2018). Accessible luxury fashion brand building via fat discrimination. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 22(1), 2-16.
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Griskevicius, V., Goldstein, N. J., Mortensen, C. R., Cialdini, R. B., & Kenrick, D. T. (2006). Going along versus going alone: When fundamental motives facilitate strategic (non) conformity. Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(2), 281.
