6. Modern Society is a slave to fashion.

Fashion needs not only be limited to the scope of designer clothes or trendy gadgets, it should be more broadly defined as the common, the widely accepted or social norm. It does not only include the materialistic aspect but also the non-materialistic part such as tradition and morality. Thus, saying that society today is completely controlled by fashion would be an overstatement. Society is not totally under the control the fashion and to a certain extent, fashion may actually help to drive the society to progression instead.

Humans' constant desire to progress coupled with their current mode of living motivates them to innovate. It is the process of coming up with new methods of doing things, thereby breaking apart from the social norm. Humans' desire for better standard of living and to tackle current problems serve as fuel for innovation. Take for instance global warming, a climate crisis acknowledged worldwide. The expected catastrophe of global warming pushes leaders across the world to seek for solutions, one of them being the development of green technology via innovation. Green technology, which includes electrically-powered cars and carbon capture and storage technology, helps to reduce the current carbon dioxide level present in the atmosphere. Therefore, this shows how society is constantly adapting to changes and it is not confined by the impact of global warming. On the contrary, global warming serves as an impetus for human to progress instead.

Society is also no longer confined to traditional family roles. Women are longer restrained to the roles of housewives and many are actively seeking employment, some even vying for political position. In fact, the world today sees some women in powerful position, for example Condoleezza Rice as the secretary of state for the United States. According to the Ministry of Manpower Singapore, 63% of the women population are employed in Singapore. This trend is also observed worldwide, particularly so in the developed countries. While this 63% is considered little compared to the male 80+%, it shows that women are gradually diverting from traditional fixed roles and are opening themselves up to take on other social position.

In addition, politics are longer restricted to speech rallies and public campaigns to gain influence. With the recognition of the power of the new media and considering that majority of the younger voters belong to the Youtube Generation, political leaders are gradually using the internet to communicate with the public. For example, Singapore is intending to look into its law on cyber-campaigning to facilitate the use of the internet as a political tool. Singapore's Senior Parliamentary Secretary has also used Facebook recently to garner support for the Youth Olympic Games. Hence, there are many ways whereby leaders can reach out and communicate with the public today. The public will then be more informed about choosing the right leaders. Thus, the new media as a political tool is encouraged, breaking apart from the previously rigid mode of propagating.

However, there are signs in society showing that it is still bounded by social norm. One such signs is that products and services sold today are promoted largely based on stereotypes. Aesthetic services such as plastic surgery and slimming services are becoming more popular because it caters to people's desire to be physically appealing. Sports products are often advertised with sports superstars to tingle sportsmen's desire to excel. People are willing to sacrifice in their pursuit of perfectness, be it their wealth or their health. A CNN article reports of how five people had died due to liposuction. Despite the death risk in several of the cosmetic surgery, many are still willing to take the risk and exemplified by the increasing popularity for such services. This shows how society are controlled by the stereotypical images of being perfect and many will go to all means to achieve that aim.

Another sign would be how the medical field is still bounded by ethical issues. Medical research are hindered due to the its process conflicting with traditional and religious values. Such delay in research leads to the loss of lives whose survival depends largely on the outcome of research. For instance, stem cell research may be the key to cure cancer, the number one killer in the United States according to CBS news. However, the controversial nature of acheiving stem cells for research delays the potential development of the technology. In spite of the increasing rate of cancer mortality worldwide (according to the National Cancer Institute), society is still bounded by morality issues which results in the loss of many other lives.

While society is controlled by fashion to a small extent today as seen in the economy and medical sector, it is too much to thus say that modern society is a slave to fashion. Looking at how fashion leads to progression in other sectors such as in technology development and standard of living, it would be more rational to suggest that perhaps society and fashion affects each other equally rather than a one-side relation.