The anchor of the fashion industry is fantasy. From outfits that are designed to set trends to rail-thin models whose builds no more resemble the build of the average American than New York City resembles Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the fashion industry is dependent upon perceptions that almost never reflect reality. In turn, that reality allows for the creation of myths that pervade the industry, whether they be myths that pertain to made in the USA clothing or myths about fashion designs or the models themselves. The following are some of the most pervasive myths in the fashion industry and why they are false.
Fashion Photography Is Dying
The issue with fashion photography is not that it is no longer in demand so much as the fashion photography market is saturated. Clothing factories in the USA have a wealth of photographers to pick from. With many photographers, though, there is a lack of understanding of positioning, light, context, and capturing the moment. Reliable photography, however, still sets certain photographers apart and they never lack for work.
Magazines and Blogs Always Favor Advertisers
Of course, advertisers are favored in many circumstances. The reason for this is that much of the fashion industry is dependent on advertising money to survive. A magazine, for instance, might depend on advertisers to make money, and clothing manufacturers in the USA and abroad depend on those magazines to gain exposure. Advertisers, however, do not call all the shots. Alternative magazines, however, have found alternative means of funding and that gives them more latitude as to what to cover and how to cover it.
Everything Is Photoshopped
Airbrushing and Photoshop play a major role in a lot of photography. In fact, with the rise of Photoshop, just about anybody can do at least amateur edits to a photo and make it look better. This largely does not exist in the modeling industry because most models are exactly as good-looking as they appear in a photo. It is cheaper to hire an actual model than to hire a photography editor and have them make the models look as good as they do. The easiest way to understand this is that for most of us there is a reason models are models and in demand and the rest of us are not.
These are some of the most common myths that surround the fashion industry. They affect fashion and clothing whether we are talking about made in the USA clothing or clothing made abroad. They are part of the mystique of the fashion industry, but that does not make them any less of a myth.