People jump on the most efficient signal available. Fashion trends signal the same as gossip, only more efficiently. Don’t forget the negative side of it. Even females that don’t worry about the very latest trends, still don’t want to be seen as ‘behind’.

The ‘new information’ needs to emanate from somewhere. It used to be from within the social group. Nowadays with global media it has to come from some common denominator everyone knows  a little about. You can see there is a vacancy for the ‘famous designer’ in fashion or the celebrity in gossip. It doesn’t matter whether the news is good or bad, as long as there is a regular supply and it is ‘interesting’. Paris Hilton will do just fine as an originator.

See my blog for more.

I think female-female competition has a lot to do with it, though – clothes and make-up could be a big factor in asserting your social dominance.