"Fashions, after all, are only induced epidemics"

This quote by George Bernard Shaw recommends that fashion trends resemble epidemics in that they spread quickly and extensively. He implies that style is not something that is chosen by individuals, however rather something that is imposed on them by society. He recommends that style is a sort of contagion, which people are affected by the patterns of those around them. This quote also indicates that style is a type of cumulative behavior, which it is not necessarily a reflection of private taste or preference. Shaw's quote suggests that fashion is a sort of social phenomenon, which it is something that is troubled individuals instead of something that they pick for themselves.