The framing of the picture, from the illusion of levitation of the four central figures to the parallelism in the choices of dress and style, which Simmel would say the young people are using as a bridge to a common identity, supports the notion of a unified social group. Additionally, these individuals have to some degree conformed and adapted to their own group's ideas of "good taste,"" as Kant argued people must do. They are all wearing similar shoes and display a similar color scheme. They come together and fit nicely as a whole, however within the whole, they are still distinctly different from one another. This raises the question of whether their fashion choices arise out of a desire for social acceptance or from a set of common attitudes or interests. .
In his essay, Sabo focuses on the emotional aspect of conformity and the dangers of the patriarchal system. He explains that he was almost forced by social pressures to be on the football team to "perfect"" his social image: "I can still remember the ease with which he lifted the barbell, the veins popping through his bulging biceps.this was to be the image of my future" (Sabo 426). While Gonrow believes that fashion is a "secure " way to identify oneself, Sabo would partially disagree. There are clearly social implications in Sabo's decision to put on a "fashionable " uniform and become part of a football team: a football jersey provides information about a person's decision to belong to a particular team, and the constricting equipment such as a helmet and tight pants conveys a kind of limitation of personal agency and conformity to a set of social values. Now that the experience is over, Sabo looks back and regrets that he ever joined the team in the first place. Fashion In Gonrow's article is a way to safely express oneself, and express one's interests. In Sabo's case, putting on that uniform was not a safe decision; the way in which he was identified, or identified himself because of what that uniform meant, turned out to be negative for his life.
