Clothing and Changing Sex Roles: Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses (original) (raw)
Related papers
Masculinity in Popular Sitcoms, 1955-1960 and 2000-2005
Common wisdom holds that men in sitcoms have changed substantially from the wise, loving patriarchs of the 1950s, but we currently lack a broad understanding of these changes. Using a random sample of sitcoms from 1955-1960 and 2000-2005, this paper shows that masculinity in sitcoms has actually evolved little since the 1950s. Some changes reflect real evolutions in masculinities and prevent male sitcom characters from becoming dated, such as their move away from nuclear families. Other changes demonstrate a complex relationship between the representation and reality of masculinity, and I argue that understanding the conditions under which sitcoms are produced, as well as their content, helps us unpack this relationship.
Relationships Between Dress and Gender in a Context of Cultural Change
2020
As some individuals no longer identify with the traditional binary distinction of male or female, new gender categories have emerged. A total of 31 gender categories have been recognized by the NYC Commission of Human Rights with the goal to encourage equitable treatment and respect of all individuals within the workplace. As society evolves, there is still a lack of understanding of gender identity and gender expression. Symbolic Interaction and Self-Verification theories were used to examine the use of dress and other appearance cues to establish and communicate gender identities with individuals representing a range of genders. A phenomenological research approach was employed. Participants spoke about gender in the context of several identities and environments. Dress was used to represent these identities along with gender. Barriers in communicating gender identified were problems with stereotypes, dress limitations in communicating gender, and mistakes (intentional and uninten...
Cultivating Conceptions of Masculinity: Television and Perceptions of Masculine Gender Role Norms
Mass Communication and Society
The potential of television to both reflect and shape cultural understandings of gender roles has long been the subject of social scientific inquiry. The present study employed survey methodology with 420 emerging adult respondents (aged 18 to 25) in a national U.S. sample to explore associations between amount of time spent viewing television and views about "ideal" masculine gender roles. The viewing of particular television genres was explored in addition to (and controlling for) overall amount of time spent with the medium, using cultivation theory as the theoretical foundation. Results showed significant statistical associations between viewing sitcoms, police and detective programs, sports, and reality television and scores on the Masculine Roles Norms Inventory-Revised scale. Biological sex of respondent (which very closely approximated gender identity in the sample) moderated a number of these relationships, with positive associations between viewing some genres and endorsement of traditional masculine gender roles stronger for biological male compared to biological female respondents.
The masculinization of dressing-up
Clothing Cultures, 2015
‘Dressing-up’ has often been seen as a gendered activity. In particular, costuming – the design and creation of costumes – has been viewed as a female pursuit. However, contemporary events and artefacts, particularly those related to fandom, frame dressing-up in contexts that are more acceptable to male audiences. Via cosplay, historical re-enactment, and the personalization of characters in online games such as World of Warcraft, a new generation of men are becoming more engaged with costume. This article will identify contemporary influences on the perception of the wearing and construction of costume, particularly with regards to costume as an expression of masculine ideals. It will discuss the costume as a marker of hypermasculinity, authority or preparedness, and identify how traditionally feminine domestic spaces and activities have been coopted by a new generation of males. It will present domestic activities such as sewing as rights-of-passage on the path towards masculinity.
Male Fashion in the Media Discourse
Тrаnscarpathian Philological Studies, 2021
The study is devoted to the research of fashion discourse concentrating mostly on male fashion and its discourse representation in Gentlemen's Quarterly and Esquire fashion articles published in 2017-2021. The gender factor seems to be crucial in the field of fashion, which is reflected through verbal masculine portrayals illustrated with photos in fashion magazines, which, on the one hand, can impose some particular looks a modern man should have, and on the other, promoting designers, fashion houses and underlying the importance of fashion and trends in people's life. The objectives of the research are to single out and classify male clothing items, cuts and colours, as well as to interpret non-verbal means, which are all together suggested for men interested in latest trends. The corpus of the most fashionable male items of clothes consists of 56 pieces, all of them being divided into basics (10 items equaling to 17,9 %) and their variants (46 items reaching 82,1 %). The research proves that some clothing pieces are more popular than others: coat and its different variants greatcoat, overcoat, pea coat, raincoat, topcoat, trench coat, waistcoat amounting to 16,1 % of all the clothing items, trousers with their variants chinos, corduroys, slacks making 17,9 %, and jacket with its variants blazer, blouson, bomber jacket, fur blouson, hooded parka, parka jacket, racer jacket, track jacket, trucker jacket, tuxedo jacket, zipper jacket comprising 25 % of the items of clothes that are advertised and recommended in male magazines. The corpus of cuts of male clothing (e.g., asymmetric (coat), banded (collar), button-down (shirt), button-front (t-shirt), cable-knit (sweater), cargo (pants), flared (trousers), high-waisted (denim trousers), longline (hoodie), natural fit (suit), oversized (cardigan/coat), pleated (pants), quilted (parka), relaxed (shorts), zip-up (jacket)) consists of 49 different lexical items describing all the complexity of designers' creativity. The male colour palette is presented by 9 basic colours (black, green, grey, red, white, yellow, brown, purple, blue), the number of their hues differs much, with blue, grey and red having most hues indigo, light-blue, navy, pale-blue; dark-grey, light-grey, metallic and burgundy, maroon, russet. The image of masculinity is supported with the help of photos of strong men in men's conventional environment, though there are very few deviations published in years 2020-2021.
Introduction to special collection on fashion and gender
Fashion and Textiles, 2016
In this special issue of Fashion and Textiles, we are pleased to present research focused on the interplay of fashion and gender. The theme for this issue followed from the fourth annual Fashion and … Symposium, held in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota in May 2015. The focus of the symposium was the relationships between fashion and gender. Authors of the 17 presented research papers, as well as other scholars from various fields of study, were invited to submit manuscripts of their work related to fashion and gender. This issue consisting of five research studies is the result of this process. Included in this issue is Matthews, Chaney and Opiri's article, "The Michelle Obama influence: An exploration of the First Lady's fashion, style and impact on women. " The authors of this article examine the impact of Mrs. Obama's sartorial style upon US women's fashion perceptions and purchase behavior. Interviews with women revealed that they believed that they could relate to Michelle Obama as a result of her appearance. Furthermore, Mrs. Obama's unique clothing selections encouraged the participants to also follow their own distinctive style when selecting clothing. Min's article, "Gendered role communication in marketing blue-collar occupational gear and clothing in the United States, " presents the results of a visual analysis of websites and advertisements selling blue-collar work apparel and personal protective gear. Min's analysis shed light on the lack of options available for women in these occupations. Furthermore, although gender equality is promoted in the workplace, individuals still express a sense of discomfort when viewing advertisements that portray women employed in blue-collar roles. The focus of Noh, Li, Martin and Purpura's article, "College men's fashion: Clothing preference, identity and avoidance" is young men, a group of fashion consumers about which little is known. Through interviews, the authors found that undergraduate males preferred to wear comfortable clothing, clothing that gives them confidence, and clothing that is situation-and context-appropriate. This research also revealed a troublesome pattern concerning male undergraduates' strong aversion to certain styles (e.g., gangster, gay). The interviewees held negative stereotypes about the people wearing these styles that are associated with African-American and homosexual men. The authors suggest that universities need to educate their students about the dangers of appearance stereotypes. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted by Reddy-Best and Harmon in their study, "Overweight boy's and girl's experiences with and perception of athletic clothing and its relationship to physical activity participation. " Reddy-Best and Harmon
Sex Roles, 1996
Recent researchers have argued both that there has been change in the way gender is portrayed in television commercials and that gender images have remained stereotypical. Comparing television commercials from the 1950s/early 1960s to commercials from the 1980s, this study explores the issue of how much, if any, change has occurred in gender images. Additionally, the study focuses on the gender display of main characters and the circumstances under which it varies. Results indicate that there has been change in the images of women but not men. The activity that women are pictured in significantly changed from the 1950s to the 1980s, and a change in activity has the strongest effect on the display of gender. Article: What the human nature of males and females really consists of. .. is a capacity to learn to provide and to read depictions of masculinity and femininity and a willingness to adhere to a schedule for presenting these pictures .... One might just as well say there is no gender identity. There is only a schedule for the portrayal of gender. (Erving Goffman, 1979, p. 8) 1 Partial funding for this research was provided by the Academic Senate of the University of California, Riverside. Statistical assistance was provided by Masako Ishii-Kuntz, Research assistance was provided by Kathryn Bigelow, Saralyn Caloff, and Eloy Zarate. We gratefully acknowledge the use of films housed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Our thanks to the anonymous reviewers at Sex Roles for their helpful comments.
Use of Perceptions of Female Dress as an Indicator of Role Definition
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 1983
The purpose of this study was to compare 60 male and 59 female responses to social and business female dress. Suits and dresses were selected as stimuli to represent a social-to- business continuum. A semantic differential instrument was adapted for use from a previous study. Use of word pairs was similar in nature for male and female responses, although there was a difference in relative influence. Separation of responses was mostly evaluative in nature. The social-to-business continuum was a key parameter in male-female differences in response. Commonality in female response led to the conclusion that females accepted the business image represented by the stimuli. The male response was more diverse for business and social images.
The Masculinisation of Dressing Up
Subverting Fashion: Style Cultures, Fan Culture & the Fashion Industry, 2014
"‘Dressing-up’ has often been seen as a gendered activity. In particular, costuming – the design and creation of costumes – has been viewed as a female pursuit. However, contemporary events and artefacts frame dressing-up in contexts that are more acceptable to male audiences. As a result, a new generation of men are becoming more engaged with costume. In multiplayer online games (such as World of Warcraft), the dressing and preparation of the avatar is a significant part of the player’s gaming experience. Fron et al. observe that male gamers devote a lot of time and effort into developing their costume, justified by their use of terminology such as ‘gear’ rather than ‘costume’. Such terminology suggests that the avatar’s wardrobe is primarily a matter of function rather than style. If costume can be justified as a functional object, particularly in that is associated with the very masculine act of combat, it can be distanced from feminine acts of vanity, and childish acts of play. The notion of costume as functional object has also made the practice of dressing-up more acceptable to mainstream cinema audiences. Christopher Nolan took great pains to justify Bruce Wayne’s costume in his recent cinema incarnations of Batman (The Dark Knight, 2008, and its sequels), in which the Batman costume is depicted as pseudo-utilitarian. The superhero genre also presents numerous masculine characters actively involved in the design and creation of costume, including Spider Man, who is seen sewing his own suit. In sci-fi and fantasy fandom, fans acquire cultural capital through the design and creation of costume. Through accuracy and authenticity in costume, a cosplayer may position himself as an authority. The organised ‘masquerades’ that take place at cosplay events add a masculine element of competition to this traditionally feminine act. "