The way we wear

A few months ago, Mexico was the site of the International Congress on the Emotional and Sexual Education of Adolescents. Among the participants was Maria del Carmen Bernal, a professor of Education at the Panamerican University in Mexico, who was also interviewed by MercatorNet about the need for teenagers to get to know themselves and to find their own authentic style. An excerpt:

MercatorNet: Fashion itself reflects broader cultural trends. How would you describe this wider environment today?

Dr Bernal: We are living in an environment that entices us all the time with external things. It stops people getting in touch with their own feelings and thinking about things deeply. People are looking for a playful approach to life, to make fun and pleasure a way of life.

MercatorNet: How does this show up in the world of fashion?

Dr Bernal: The constant search for new sensations leads to an unrealistic look. The way people appear has less and less to do with their personal identity, and this is a very worrying issue. Anxiety among young people to achieve the "right look" while suppressing their natural inclinations leads to loss of self-esteem, dissatisfaction and permanent frustration.

At the same time as they are losing touch with their inner selves, they develop an obsession with the physical self -- with their health, diet and exercise, which is all part of this obsession with appearance as a medium to connect with others and feel part of the group.

MercatorNet: How can you get teenagers to see through the manipulation?

Dr Bernal: We have to educate children in aesthetics, or taste. This means facilitating contact with nature and the arts. Developing their powers of observation and the capacity for amazement. Feeding the imagination and memory by means of literature and good movies. Encouraging self-knowledge. And helping young people to be original, not letting them fall into the uniformity that exists today.

Along with this we have to show children how to achieve self-control, so that they are not carried along by a situation but are able to assert their personality and their values. Self-control is the art of conquering and governing yourself -- not forgetting the fact that we are vulnerable to crashes and will probably need to bounce back countless times.

Full interview at MercatorNet