choices can express a unique identity or can signify our membership in a group . Today , jeans come in many styles , cuts , colours and price points , and there is a new trend every year . Designer jeans have their own degree of status and fashionableness . Describing a style of denim jeans as “ fashionable ” suggests that wearers identify themselves with , or want to be identified with , a fashionable ingroup .
So what does it mean that practically everybody - from labourers to fashion plates , from teenagers to billionaires - wears denim jeans ? Conformity in fashion choice - such as wearing denim jeans - is the visual shorthand for social identity . Wearing jeans provides information about a person ’ s identity and culture right away . Tajfel calls this phenomenon “ ingroup recognition ” - we see ourselves and are seen by others as belonging .
The case of Brazil Brazil has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world . The country ’ s adoption of blue jeans , which the Levi Strauss company rightly describes as “ the quintessential American garment ”, signals that Brazil has joined and belongs with the “ ingroup ” of developed countries like the United States .
At the same time it adopted the quintessential fashion item of another culture , Brazil modified the “ uniform ” to conform to its own cultural expectations . Brazil ’ s growing rates of cosmetic surgery over the past two decades demonstrate the value that Brazilians place on appearance . “ Brazilian jeans ,” the local manifestation of the product , are very body-conscious and emphasise the body of the woman wearing them . The fabric from which they are made is especially elastic , making them very form-fitting . Brazilian jeans are marketed as “ lifting ,” enhancing the selfesteem of the wearer . In this way , the global uniform is given regional relevance .
The evolution of Brazilian jeans shows that adoption of denim jeans on a global scale is not a one-way street . Characteristics of Brazilian culture and identity are visible in the local development of jeans , offering a counter to the fear that globalisation necessarily diminishes local culture . International customers can purchase “ Brazilian jeans ” and assume their own membership in the ingroup of Brazilian culture . Something more complex than mere conformity and homogenisation is at work .
Conclusion The global pervasiveness of denim jeans can be considered a form of Americanisation , the diffusion of an American-born fashion item to the rest of the world . Denim jeans stopped being just for men at work and are now a universal clothing choice .
Psychology helps explain this global pervasiveness . Social Identity Theory explains that individuals conform to the characteristics of a desirable ingroup to demonstrate that they belong . The nature of clothing also helps to explain this . Clothing choices signify the identity , personality and social affiliation of the wearer . “ Quintessential ” denim jeans represent the United States , the modern world and affluent society ; individuals around the world assume that identity through fashion choice .
At the same time that conformity in fashion offers social cues and group identity , fashion provides an outlet for personal expression . Local variations in pervasive fashion , such as Brazilian jeans , infuse uniquely local characteristics into a global fashion trend . This combination of uniformity and uniqueness is a small-scale example of the complicated and evolving world in which we live . All is the same and yet different .
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