Ageism

Ageism is an overlooked way of being prejudiced. You look at somebody because of their age, and tell them off the rip that they are too young or too old for the job without giving them any sort of opportunity to showcase what exactly they can do. I am going to be talking about how ageism affects fashion, and how it can also impact somebody's mental health. In the industry of fashion, it is very important to fit the right age group. You never want to be too young because you may not know as much as somebody that has 5 more years of experience. Does that mean they know more than you or they are better at their job than you? No, it’s just something that holds value in the fashion industry. Those beliefs that only a certain age or amount of experience required may miss out on something that could be beneficial to them. Mentally it affects somebody because they are being shut down as for any other reason but age which could cause somebody to be overly stressed and even depressed. Another way ageism is shown within the fashion industry is how they shape what we view as age appropriate. For that reason, a store should have mixed merchandise. If the store doesn’t have mixed inventory they may not find the same amount of success as a store that has merchandise and enough inventory to reach any audience or age group. Ageism also affects the store image, because what a store displays is what they will attract. If a store has ads with nothing but teens their audience will be directed towards teens. In my opinion if the store has a specific age group they are targeting ageism may be acceptable because that is your direct audience, that's who you want in your store. For example Pacsun is targeted for teens and young adults. Their ads consist of young adults and or teens.

Another store that shows ageism is JCPenny and Kohls. They are both stores that anybody can shop at without feeling judged or they shouldn’t belong. In there ads it’s always shown many different ages and families.