When I see movies or drawings from other periods of time, I see different sorts of clothes on women. Ancient Rome:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=images+of+women+in+ancient+rome&t=hk&ia=images
1920's American bathing suits for women:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=women+in+1920s+bathing+suits&t=hk&ia=images&iax=images
When I see a woman in an ancient Roman gown, I think I am looking at someone who was accepted as well dressed and appropriately garbed. When I see a woman in a 1920's bathing suit, again, I am confident that she and others thought she was attractive and appropriately clad.
But, I want to turn my attention to other types of fashion, not just women's clothing or any clothing for that matter. Our trip to Cuba brought this non-clothing aspect of fashion, habit, acceptable things and procedures to mind sharply. Several friends said I should look out for good Cuban cigars when we were there. We did have a visit to a cigar factory, a place with cigars were made by hand, rolled by experienced fingers. I had heard from friends at home that some of them liked a Cuban cigar now and then. But we had been from one end of the 800 mile island to the other and I didn't remember seeing a single cigar being smoked. I mentioned it and was told that cigars "had fallen out of fashion".
Wow! So, in addition to science and medicine and climate and economics and other forces, there is something in human affairs called "fashion." I know we have designers and design teachers at the university. I can imagine that some sellers have certainly said or implied that I can be up-to-date if I buy their goods. I know that smartphones have eclipsed computers ( suspect convenience and portability, not to mention lots of efforts and complaints and invention have fingerprints all over the change). I know that tail fins on cars have disappeared. But those are mostly appearance.
What about compact discs and even DVD's (digital video discs)? They are being shoved out by streaming. I am pretty sure there is some literature on the change from horse power to automobile power changing the market for buggy whips. Some changes in technology are probably due to better convenience but there may be some that seem unexplainable except by considerations of fashion, up-to-date-ness and the desire to be thought of as a with-it, sharp person. I think the opposite of being in the forefront (wherever that is) may be being "passé", which my computer says is defined as "no longer fashionable, out of date"). Such a state reminds me of that described as "irrelevant", as in that philosophy is irrelevant. That sometimes means the philosophy pertains to other matters but it sometimes means I simply don't want to deal with it.
