Ohio State fashion insiders discuss color analysis, body types and the effects of physical appearance categorization

These days, the labels people associate with fashion go far beyond price tags and brand names.

Style trends popularized on social media can foster a restrictive mindset when it comes to self-expression, said Ann Paulins, professor of fashion and retail studies at Ohio State. With Alex Tremblay, co-director of design for the Ohio States Fashion Production Association, Paulins analyzed the potential psychological consequences of color analysis, classification of body types, and increasingly specialized aesthetics.

Color analysis involves determining which shades best suit a person's skin, hair and eyes, according to a November 2023 Vogue. article. Additionally, people can be assigned a color season (summer, fall, winter, or spring) based on which shades flatter them most, how much article States.

When it comes to skin coloring, it's sort of categorized by whether you have dark skin, light skin or pale skin, for example, said Tremblay, also a second-year psychology student. And then underneath that, we have shades, and we kind of tend to categorize people into warm, cool, and neutral shades. And all of this can influence how certain colors appear on your skin.

Personally, Tremblay said they don't place much value on the so-called color seasons because they don't leave much room for creativity.

It's just another way of categorizing people and putting them in a box, Tremblay said.

In recent times, color analysis has seen a surge in popularity online; on Tic Tac There are over 277,000 videos attached to the #coloranalysis hashtag alone. Nonetheless, Paulins said the practice of the style actually dates back to the 1980s.

The '80s were a big time for house parties, so party hard and get your colors on, Paulins said. And then when you go shopping, you take these color samples and only buy clothes in those colors because that's what looks good on you.

A fashion tip frequently shared by social media users is the recommendation to dress according to your body shape, which can be categorized using terms like pear, inverted triangle, round, hourglass or rectangle, Tremblay said.

It can be as simple as wearing an all-black dress to appear taller or thinner, but it can also get as complicated as looking at the exact proportions of each part of your body and looking at angles, Tremblay said.

This capacity for both simplicity and complexity leads Tremblay to believe that classifying body types is a slippery slope.

I think color analysis and dressing for your body type can all be great tools for learning how to present yourself and express yourself better, Tremblay said. At the same time, I think we put a lot of restrictions on what people can wear based on their appearance, their proportions, the color of their skin.

Aesthetics also play a role in restrictive fashion. Tremblay said the speed with which people adhere to aesthetic labels like “mab wife,” defined by faux fur jackets and statement jewelry, or eclectic grandpa, including loafers and sweater vests, may be the reflection of certain psychological desires.

Humans have various social motivations, but one of the main ones we all have is membership or the desire to belong to a certain group, Tremblay said. I think using these very specific labels to describe aesthetics helps us feel like we belong to some sort of group or subculture that we feel personally attached to.

While adopting certain labels can help provide a framework for exploring one's personal style and self-expression, Paulins said it can also lead many people to develop a negative thought process around body image.

Elements of design principles and color theory are rooted in science, Paulins said. There is a scientific method. We understand that the eyes look at things in a certain way and that there is a pleasing proportion. I caution you from being too prescriptive with this, as we are not saying there is a better color or size.

Additionally, Tremblay said societal pressure could be causing people to engage in these trends for the wrong reasons.

Things go out of style and go out of fashion very quickly, so I think there is a desire not to be left behind, especially as fashion becomes more and more accessible and people can dress in lots of new ways and really trying things,” Tremblay said.

Paulins simply urges social media users, as well as fashion enthusiasts, to accept or reject trend designations based on what feels authentic to them.

As human beings, we all have a certain responsibility, just as we give advice: to be honest, but constructive, and to recognize that ultimately each person must make decisions about their own appearance and how they presents himself most at ease, Paulins said.