Fashion folly.

When Fashion Becomes Folly

Benjamin Franklin, Silence Dogood, and the Art of Being Ourselves

Have you ever bought something you did not really need simply because everyone else seemed to have it?

Have you ever worn something uncomfortable because it was fashionable?

Or spent money trying to look richer, more successful, or more important than you actually felt?

If the answer is yes, do not worry. Human beings have been doing these things for centuries!

More than 300 years ago, a sixteen-year-old American boy was already laughing at some of these habits.

His name was Benjamin Franklin. His weapon was not a sword or a lecture. It was humour.

And his spokesperson was a woman who never existed.

Enter Silence Dogood

In 1722, Franklin wrote fourteen newspaper letters under the name Silence Dogood, presenting himself to readers through the fictional voice of a middle-aged widow.

The letters commented on the society of his day, including its fashions, manners, education, and pretensions.

One of the subjects he found amusing was the extraordinary importance people attached to outward appearance.

Fashion itself was not the enemy. The amusing part was watching people become so concerned with appearing fashionable that common sense seemed to disappear!

Clothing that was uncomfortable, expensive, or impractical could become desirable simply because it was the latest style.

The question was not whether a dress or an ornament was beautiful. It was whether people had begun to measure their worth by such things.

The fashion parade has never ended

Imagine travelling through time from Franklin's Boston to the world of today.

We might find that the clothes have changed, but some human habits remain remarkably familiar.

In the eighteenth century, people might compete through elaborate clothing, wigs, ornaments, and fashionable accessories.

Today, the competition may involve designer labels, expensive phones, luxury cars, holiday photographs, and carefully arranged social-media profiles.

A person buys the latest phone. Soon, another model appears.

Someone posts photographs of an expensive holiday. Another person feels that an ordinary family trip is no longer impressive enough.

A young person sees a popular influencer wearing a particular brand and begins to believe that owning it is essential to being accepted.

The objects have changed. The desire to impress others has not.

When does fashion become folly?

There is nothing wrong with enjoying beautiful clothes, jewellery, technology, or other possessions.

India itself has an extraordinary tradition of textiles, embroidery, jewellery, craftsmanship, and regional styles. Fashion can be an art, a cultural expression, and a source of livelihood.

The problem begins when we stop choosing things because we enjoy or need them and start choosing them because we are afraid of being judged.

A simple question can help us recognise the difference:

Would I still want this if nobody else could see it?

If the answer is yes, it may be something we genuinely value.

If the answer is no, perhaps we are buying approval rather than an object.

That is an expensive way to seek happiness!

The invisible price tag

The price of an unnecessary purchase is not always measured in money.

It can also mean hours of work, financial pressure, comparison, and the feeling that we must constantly keep up with others.

A person who is always trying to match someone else's lifestyle may never feel that they have enough.

There will always be a newer model, a bigger house, a more fashionable outfit, or a more impressive holiday.

Comparison has no finishing line.

But someone who knows what they value can enjoy their possessions without becoming dependent on them.

The finest thing in a wardrobe may be a beautiful garment. Yet the finest quality in the person wearing it is the confidence to be comfortable without needing constant admiration.

A little humour can reveal a big truth

Why did Franklin use humour instead of simply telling people how they should behave?

Humour can make us recognise our own foolishness without feeling that someone is delivering a sermon.

When we laugh at an exaggerated fashion or an absurd social custom, we may suddenly recognise a smaller version of the same behaviour in ourselves.

That moment of recognition is valuable.

We do not have to condemn fashionable people, criticise those who enjoy luxury, or pretend that appearances never matter. We only need to notice when appearances begin to control our choices.

The best satire holds up a mirror. It leaves us free to decide what we want to change.

Three questions worth asking

Before we spend money, follow a trend, or compare ourselves with others, we can pause and ask:

Do I genuinely like this? Or do I want it because other people admire it?

Can I afford it comfortably? Or am I sacrificing something more important to maintain an appearance?

Will it add lasting value to my life? Or will I soon need something newer to feel satisfied?

These questions are useful for adults as well as young people. In a world of constant advertising and instant online shopping, the ability to pause and choose wisely is a form of freedom.

The freedom to be ourselves

Benjamin Franklin's Silence Dogood letters invite us to look at society with an observant eye and a sense of humour.

We need not abandon fashion, avoid beautiful things, or live without comforts. We can appreciate beauty without becoming its prisoners.

Wear what you enjoy. Buy what you need. Admire another person's success without feeling smaller yourself.

And remember that the value of a human being cannot be measured by the label on a shirt, the price of a handbag, or the number of people who admire a photograph.

Fashion should help us express ourselves, not make us forget who we are.

Perhaps that is the simplest way to recognise when fashion becomes folly.