We all have an aesthetic sense. An aesthetic sense is individual; it is individual to each person, and not shared by anyone else. So, the question of what is aesthetic style comes up. The question, “What is aesthetic style?” asks us to consider what we appreciate as beauty, or what type of things make us happy and that things make us sad.
What is the definition of beauty anyway? Answering that question is equally difficult, since there is no one answer that can adequately describe our aesthetic sense and its preferences. In fact, the definition of aesthetics itself is vague. Aesthetics scholars debate the idea that there are certain standards by which we can measure fashion; there are no agreed rules concerning what types of fashion are considered to be a beauty, and what elements of fashion constitute esthetics.
We must first agree that there are some qualities that are considered to be aesthetic in nature, such as calmness and serenity, simplicity, beauty, or a sense of proportion. These qualities do not necessarily pertain to form, but are present when the art or product has these qualities. There are also qualities that do not pertain to form, but are present when the art or product has these qualities. The next question then is how to determine what these 4 elements of fashion are. Aesthetics scholars and stylists have offered several different definitions, most of which are contradictory.
The first step is to consider what visual attributes are considered to be pleasing to the human eye. Some visual attributes that are aesthetically pleasing are color, pattern, texture, size, and visual balance. Aesthetics scholars and stylists often refer to the visual balance as the visual analogies or analogues of the aesthetic style. Another way of saying this is that it is a balance of opposing characteristics such as form and content. For example, colors can be considered aesthetically pleasing if they match and blend well with one another, and if their contrast is slight. In order to create a pleasing visual effect, however, one must use larger numbers of colors than needed or use only a small amount of contrast.
Color, as mentioned above, is one of the important elements of aesthetics. What is aesthetic mean, then, if color is used to mean a quality such as calmness? According to the American Psychological Association, the aesthetic mean is “the quality of seeing that is shaped by the cognitive processes that we go through.” It further states, “The acceptance of the facts as we arrive at them and the acceptance of the patterns of behavior as they emerge from our cognitive processes… shape our perceptions of the world.”
In his book, Man, Nature, and Fashion, Edmund Bergson lists eighteen aesthetic values, six of which are personal and seven public. He further states, “Aesthetic value is nothing but a standard of judgment,” adding, “esthetic evaluation is one of the truest tests of the validity of all idealism, of materialism, and of religion in general.” However, what is aesthetic style, then, when viewed by an individual? According to feminist thinker Naomi Wolf, “aesthetic style is a particular mode of judging the aesthetic object… Aesthetic style involves the attitude of the beholder, and thus the aesthetic is subjective… Aesthetic style is determined by the extent to which it corresponds to a norm of aesthetic experience.”
One major factor in the aesthetic style is related to the visual language of pop culture. In her book Fashion and the Camera, Judith Hillenbrand describes how certain visual languages represent different aesthetic values. For instance, a black-and-white photograph may represent purity, simplicity, and basic humanness; on the other hand, a digitally enhanced image may signify technological advancement, artificiality, and an abandon for the natural. By understanding the visual language of fashion, one can begin to understand the relationship between aesthetics and fashion.
With the rise of the internet, many individuals are relying on their personal computers as a means for communication. Thanks to social media, we are able to interact with our friends and family through blogs, photographs, videos, and text. The explosion of the blogosphere has created a new sub-culture: pod casting, also known as “vlogging.” Vlogs are short, detailed videos that offer advice or commentaries on the latest happenings in a specific subject. Just as fashion is an expression of self and social media as an avenue of self-expression, so is vlogging, which is a way to express the aesthetic style of one’s self through the medium of social media.