Ruth P. Rubinstein

One of the functions of fashion is identification. For example, teenagers often select the same dress styles worn by their favorite musical performers. Wearing similar clothing creates a bond between teenagers and the musicians. Clothing symbols can indicate that one belongs to a certain group. Members can identify each other. Tie—symbols can also indicate support for causes. For instance, the red ribbons worn in memory of AIDS victims became a tie—symbol when celebrities began sporting them at public events. In the following article, author Ruth P. Rubinstein, a fashion expert and professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton, discusses the way clothing tie—symbols are created and perpetrated. This excerpt is from Rubinstein's book, Dress Codes: Meanings and Messages in American Culture.