The Influence Of Fashion Magazines On Educated Nigerian Women: A Study Of Women In Lagos Metropolis

Abstract

Fashion came into existence when Adam and Eve had to cover themselves as they realized that they were naked in the Garden of Eden. It can then be said that fashion started out of the basic need to cover nakedness. But over time, a lot of advancements have taken place which revolutionized the fashion industry and the choice of fashion materials. A long time ago, what fashion or the habit of being fashionable meant was just an act of covering nakedness and protecting tender skin from very harsh weather conditions (as is the case with people living in very cold regions of the world). But today, fashion has become an industry that encompasses a lot of other things such as shoes, bags, lingerie, perfumes and other forms of cosmetics. It is interesting to note that even certain hair-dos and postures are becoming fashionable. Because fashion has become a flourishing industry, every other sector of the economy has become interested in what is happening in the industry. The Nigerian media, especially the print, noticed the rapid and geometric progression in the fashion industry and decided to explore it to fullness, this exploration led to the birth of a new brand of magazine called fashion magazines. These magazines came to feed the hungry Nigerians who had suddenly grown sophisticated and needed to be abreast of the trends in fashion. The new brand of magazines which appeals to all classes of people with more interest on the womenfolk has continued to exert lots of influence on the Nigerian people (particularly women) and as such, lots of criticisms have followed it. This is why the researcher has picked interest in it. The thrust of this research work is to find out what impact fashion magazines have made on Educated Nigerian women using women in Lagos metropolis as a study. The sampling procedure employed for this research work is random sampling. Random sampling is a sampling technique that involves the process of selecting a sample in such a way that all individuals in the defined population have an equal and independent chance of being selected for the sample. In conducting this research, it is hardly possible to include all targeted people in the investigation. This is because their population may be too large to be reached at particular point in time due to geographical coverage. Our sample size for this study shall comprise four hundred (400) women between ages 20-60 purposively chosen from the twenty (20) local government areas in Lagos State. Twenty women would be randomly selected from each local Government making a total of four hundred women. Though the questionnaire was our major technique of data gathering for this research work, interviews/ personal contacts were also used to supplement the questionnaire. Simple tables and percentages were used for the presentation and analysis of data that were collected. Findings from the research exercise show that no doubt, the market for fashion magazines is limitless and has come to stay. The present trends of events and development by the Nigerian fashion industry is a clear indication that the industry has the capacity to speak eloquently at the global level thereby promoting Nigeria local fabrics and styles.