topics like this always remind me of the fashion chapter from Susan Faludi's "Backlash", a 1990's feminist tome. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it. Basically fashion trends (just like other consumer trends) are created by the business class, not what people actually want.
Stella DucksNo paywall: ‘Naked Dressing’ Is Spreading and It’s Making Things Awkward' WSJ archive.is/SQAQG