Fashion and consumer culture - Essay Example

Fda Fashion Buying & Merchandising Unit Fashion and Consumer Culture ‘Consumer goods and services potentially play an important role in who we are and how we construct our social lives, in terms of how we use such goods and services and how we relate to other people through such goods and services.’ Miles, S, (1998) Consumerism as a Way of L. ife. London: Sage. (p.3) Student : KLI10289882 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................................................ 3 Fashion and the social order....................................................................................... 4-10 The individualist perspective...................................................................................... 10-12 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 12-13 Bibliography................................................................................................................. 14 “Consumers dress up, now as skiers who never ski, now as pilots who cannot fly, now as soldiers who never see army life. In search for the expression of individualism bound up in a fantasy status” (Carroll, 2009). Introduction In order to fully understand the role that fashion consumption plays in developing a sense of self, it is necessary to gain knowledge of how fashion dictates social attitudes and group membership. According to the domain of social psychology, fashion products represent symbolic attributes that speak volumes about an individual’s position in life in regards to income, trend-consciousness, and social group membership. It is the symbolism projected by fashion attire that largely dictates the level to which an individual moulds their lifestyle against social group affiliation needs. On the other hand, the question as to whether fashion is a symbolic methodology to ensure a degree of individualism is raised. Symbolic purchases represent a status representation reflecting socio-economic background or peer group affiliation, thus theoretically it is the social environment that determines fashion consumption. Is fashion consumption solely based on social attachment or is fashion a break from pre-established social norms to project individual innovation and creativity as the dominant reason for consumption? Carroll (2009) suggests that fashion consumption is a search for individuality. However, research identifies that fashion consumption is more closely related to social affiliation, an assumption based on characteristics in the real-world fashion marketplace that point toward the psychological mechanisms of social group identity. Based on differing viewpoints, the question is raised as to whether fashion consumption is solely individualistic or based on social factors that influence buying behaviours. This paper explores how either individualism or social factors influence social lives as it relates to fashion consumption. Fashion and the social order Under most theoretical models of psychology, there are distinct, unchangeable needs and motivations that drive human behaviour, personality and social attitudes. One of the most fundamental models stems from psychologist Abraham Maslow who developed a hierarchy of needs describing the foundational motivations that drive a healthy personality. In order to realise one’s fullest potential, one must have social belongingness, self-esteem, and aesthetic beauty (Weiten & Lloyd, 2005). According to this theory, healthy social adjustment is stifled without reinforcement of these needs. Gambrel & Cianci (2003) reinforce this theory in a more contemporary viewpoint, suggesting that once recognition from others is achieved, it can produce perceptions of control, prestige, power and self-confidence. “Individuals need to feel that they have some affect on their environment”.Thus, the largest assumption that can be drawn from these theorists is that fashion consumption provides the perceptive feelings that an individual is maintaining control over their environment by projecting fashion attire, which in turn builds self-esteem and confidence. Taking this a step further, Banister & Hogg (2004) identify self-esteem as one of the most primary motivational drivers for consumption of fashion, a symbolic product. Psychologists and sociologists identify that self-esteem is achievable only through social affiliation, thus it would appear to be the inherent motivational needs found in every human being that determine choice of fashion purchase and how the individual views fashion as a construct of their lifestyle development and their interpersonal role with the whole of society or their preferred social group. “Consumers turn to brands less as bundles of utility, but more as badges that convey social meaning and that have the power to generate social acceptance” (Carroll 2009, p.148). According to Carroll, consumption of fashion merchandise as a means to generate higher volumes of social acceptance is a learned process in which society is the determined frame of reference for fashion purchases. Consumers in society generally have multi-dimensional methodologies for determining self-concept, based on the ideal self, the social self, the actual self, and the subjective self . The complex variables of self-concept often results in distinct differences between the way an individual perceives himself as compared to their actual self. This phenomenon as it relates to fashion is referred to as the image congruence hypothesis (Carroll, 2008) in which individuals are only able to find self-consistency through fashion consumption. Consumption provides an excellent change for buyers to express themselves not in their true form, but to their ideal sense of self as a means to build social membership (Carroll, p.148). The multi-dimensional aspects of self-concept create a type of discord within the consumer that making it difficult to achieve harmony for development of a healthy and well-adjusted personality (Weiten & Lloyd, 2005). Unable to find congruence between the complex variables of self-concept, the individual seeks something more stable amidst an internal chaotic system of thought, thus turning toward fashion as a means to create a grounded sense of identity. Simultaneously, basic inherent needs related to social belonging, self-esteem development, and the need for aesthetic beauty work as motivators to build a healthy social persona and find stability. Since consumers cannot find emotional stability without the influence of the social environment, fashion is the most ideal choice by which to settle complex cognitive issues related to the self and also frame a sense of belonging to the social world. Thus, there is a great deal of psychological factors that determine how individuals construct their social lives using fashion as a secure and durable item to develop a positive self-identity and a positive sense of self. The role of societal peers and group affiliation regarding what drives motivation in fashion consumption choices cannot be dismissed as it fits the foundational motivational psychology of all human beings. However, how extensive is the role of the social environment in what actually drives certain fashion purchases. People will often distort their beliefs according to emotional comfort, self-image and congruence of their beliefs systems to society norms (Barber et al 2009). Further, in today’s society, there is a great deal of social inequality that is largely dictated by personal income levels, thus attitudes can be distorted based on social systems. Social inequality is part of virtually all social processes, with an individual’s life position in this system as the largest predictor of beliefs and consumption attitudes (sociologyindex.com, 2011). Seeing that there are a tendency of human being to distort their judgments so as to maintain a positive self-image and the existence of social inequality arising from, e.g., income, one should consider a real-world scenario that arises which seems to be a by-product of these human psychological characteristics. Upscale fashion merchandisers understand the phenomenon of ostentatious consumption as a means to project one’s social class or at least perceptions of it. Income and social equality are external factors that influence consumption behaviour and are linked closely with group affiliation or lack thereof. Take for instance a case study of retailers such as Richard James and Liberty of London, where there have been revenue-based impacts associated with the global recession. Because of this, these retailers have been forced to offer significant price discounts on their merchandise in order to guarantee higher sales volumes (O’Connor, 2008). However, in this particular sector of higher-priced fashion, discounting is considered a dirty word and these retailers avoid the use of this terminology when it comes to sales and price reductions. Instead, they invite customers using direct mailing literature which invite them to attend discreet sales events or develop “private sale” websites as a means to hide these price reduction efforts. When presented as a private sale, “it not only protects the brand, but also gives the consumer the idea that they are within an inner circle” (Anniss 2009, p.5). Especially for the upscale buyer with more resources, discounting is an unacceptable concept based on concerns over how their peers will view their purchases as it relates to their socio-economic background. It was previously established that income levels are linked with the social environment through the social stratification system in society. Therefore, high-end merchandisers recognise that discounting is affiliation-based and thus their marketing premise avoids appealing to individualism. Discreet retail discounting and the use of private sales determine how individuals construct their social lives and relate to others. Those consumers who fit the profile of ostentatious consumption of fashion merchandise either have the resources required to make high-end purchases or they wish to project the image of higher placement in the social stratification system as a means to fit in with their desired social groups. Whatever the case, the term discounting in this sector creates opportunities for negative emotional comfort or socially viewed distortion of their positive self-image, which was identified by Barber et al (2009) as reasons for why an individual alters their judgments. Fashion, for the pretentious or more flamboyant buyers, represents grandiose opportunities to express their position within the social stratification system by displaying high-end brands or word-of-mouth advertisement from the retailer where they bought the high-priced fashion attire. Discussion in the social environment that speaks about discounting, even when the tangible realities of economic recession are present on discretionary income or a limited place in the social stratification system exists, creates ample opportunities for negative social assessment by peers. Thus, retailers understand these social dimensions and psychological mechanisms that drive fashion consumption behaviour and offer these private sales in a way that is highly ambiguous whilst still attaining their profit margins. Discounting, or its avoidance then, is closely associated with peer affiliation and concerns over how their image will be negatively affected by lower-cost merchandise purchases and has little to do with individualistic expression. Given the notion that distorted judgments are based on emotional comfort and the need for positive self-image related to the social environment, social characteristics are developed not only by the individual, but by the actions of fashion retailers themselves who feed these distorted self-views on social image. In order to fit in with a desired social group, the fashion consumer will alter their consumption choices even if it represents a burden as a means to find the ideal happiness required to have a positive social life and well-adjusted adult personality. “A lover feels that he or she must be with the beloved; a slave of fashion believes he or she must wear this year’s colour or style. It feels not to be an expression of desire, but a necessity, even sometimes a burden, and certainly a condition of any possibility of happiness” (Blackburn 206, p.22). This particular quote by Blackburn serves as support for the complex dimensions of psychological behaviours in consumers as well as how an individual will change their judgments due to the social environment when referring to consumption as a potential burden to satisfy the judgments of peers and other desired social groups. Therefore, in the search for finding a positive sense of well-being and positive self-image related to their social position as it pertains to income, an individual fitting certain profiles of consumption behaviour construct their social behaviours based on principles of peer and group affiliation needs. Under the notion that slaves to fashion can consider fashion consumption to be a burden, it gives ample support to the idea that social factors and externally-driven motivators dictate consumption behaviour and impact cognitive processing related to social attitude. For some, under the aforementioned psychological theorists related to motivation and needs, fashion attire can build higher self-esteem, but only after receiving peer group recognition. The view of having an ideal self, a personality that one wishes to achieve, can be distorted by peer reference group feedback about fashion choices. As identified previously, it was established by Barber et al. (2009) that people will distort their cognitive processing based on the need for maintaining a positive self-image related to the social environment. Thus if one wishes to become part of a desired group that is either a slave to fashion or concentrated fashion followers, it is likely that a person fitting the profile of requiring positive self-image will look toward fashion as a means to build their sense of social identity. On the other hand, those who tangibly desire fashion merchandise for their own needs will look toward fashion as a means to corroborate their own values and beliefs or when fashion provides inherent emotional comfort. Marketers of fashion products refer to particular groups of consumers when determining how best to advertise and promote their fashion products. One of these groups is the Striver group, one who is image-conscious, spends largely on clothing and fashion accessories, but maintain limited discretionary incomes and carry high credit card balances (Boone & Kurtz, 2005). This type of consumer makes fashion purchases not for the personal fulfilment it brings, but to attain a better social image even when it conflicts with tangible financial resource availability. “Because attributions are made on judgment processes, consumers are susceptible to social factors. One factor is desire, which has a powerful impact on cognitive processing” (Barber et al 2009, p.435). The desire to maintain a positive image with social peer reference groups, if the reference group maintains significant emotional influence, will construct the Striver consumer profile to adopt fashion as a central part of their lifestyle despite financial constraints. Thus, their social lives are centred around fashion as a means to find personal fulfilment, lifestyle satisfaction, and also to build a positive self-image related to the social environment. If self-esteem cannot be built, according to psychological theory, without the influence of group affiliation, one will constantly adjust their lifestyle and consumption behaviours according to group values. In this type of profile, consumerism then becomes a total way of life; a foundational method of achieving happiness and self-actualisation. Postmodernist views on fashion tend to contradict the notion of social peer influence in driving fashion choices. The neoliberalism viewpoint suggests that fashion consumption is only an ideology that promotes free market capitalism and that fashion purchases are relatively homogenized between social demographics (Robins, 1997). This raises questions about how individualist perspective affects consumption assuming that consumption is largely homogenous globally. The next section describes this particular perspective. The individualist perspective It was previously established that true happiness is a by-product of the basic, inherent needs and motivations related to social belonging and self-esteem development. However, the initial question of this project was to determine whether or not it was solely the social environment that determines how one constructs their social lives and relationship with others or whether it was the need to express individualism that determines fashion consumption behaviours. A qualitative study was conducted recently on 256 university students representing categories of fashion consumer groups (Studak and Workman, 2004). These were fashion innovators, fashion followers, and fashion opinion leaders. The goal of the study was to measure their propensity for boredom in society as a means to identify fashion consumption behaviour. Boredom or fulfilment are related to basic psychological drivers that act as predictors of social behaviour and attitude (Weiten & Lloyd, 2005). One of the dependent variables in the study involved constraint, which is the level of income availability that either limits consumption and broader social activities or enhances them. The study by Studak and Workman (2004) identified that fashion innovators had a higher propensity for boredom due to constraint issues than any other of the fashion groups. This particular study was highlighted to understand how a fashion consumer constructs their social lives and social attitudes. Fashion innovators are considered those who are trend-focused and creative in their expression of fashion attire. They were found to have the highest propensity for boredom in society than other identified fashion groups due to income restraints caused by their placement within the social stratification system. Less income leads, theoretically, to less innovation in fashion accumulation and presentation due to this constraint factor. Fewer economic resources also provide less opportunity for more exciting social activities, thus reducing personal fulfilment as it pertains to developing the belongingness and aesthetics required to be fully content and happy with a well-adjusted personality. Thus, those who view fashion as innovative opportunities for creativity and ingenuity, but maintain fewer financial resources, view their lives as dull and boring whilst those with higher resources would maintain less perceptions of boredom and see their role in society differently with more satisfaction. The idea of being part of an innovative fashion group, and finding boredom for being unable to attain the type of creativity that fashion consumption can provide due to resource limitations, does seem to support that fashion can be a product of individual expression without necessarily considering the social environment’s influence. The same study identified that fashion followers, those who are trend-focused and influenced by the social environment, had much less tendency to experience boredom in society even under constraint scenarios related to resources (Studak & Workman, 2004). This study by Studak & Workman does not concretely prove that fashion as an expression of individualism helps in constructing one’s views on social identity and social relationship development, however it is an indicator that social reference groups impact only some of today’s fashion consumers. When trying to determine individualistic values or collectivist values related to fashion consumption, questions arise about the role of the external environment in relation to individualist consumption values. It tends to build an argument that attitudes related to social lifestyle and social relationships is unique and that one must fit a certain psychological profile in order to be heavily influenced by social reference groups. Those who find healthy adjustment for the innovative aspects of fashion find boredom when consumption is constrained by resource availability whilst other fashion profiles can still maintain contentment in constraint scenarios due to the externally-driven merits of social acceptance related to fashion attire. For some, then, it should be said that fashion is a means of personal utility whilst for others it is largely a method by which to convey social meaning through reference group consideration. Conclusion The research perspectives on socially-driven or individualist values do not concretely prove either individualism or collectivism related to fashion and the development of social lifestyle and social values. However, it does provide unique insights into what drives fashion-related behaviours and further understanding of the role of group membership through fashion in constructing social lives and social relationships. There seems to be differing degrees that involve in-depth psychology related to the type of image one desires to present in society in order to determine how acute fashion consumption is to developing one’s sense of personal identity when measured against society. Striver profiles, ostentatious buyers, and fashion innovators were highlighted as three potential fashion-buying consumer categories in order to understand exactly how fashion is used by society to construct attitudes associated with social lifestyle and social identity. It would appear that the level to which one grapples with their self-concept will determine the extent to which a person will adjust their attitudes to attain group affiliation using fashion as a central focus. The ideal self when measured against the actual self will determine how one perceives themselves in society and whether fashion merchandise will play a central role in this determination or whether it is only a secondary element leading toward happiness and overall social satisfaction. Fashion as a means to find congruence, fashion as a means to create self-enhancement in peer reference groups, or fashion as a means to express individualism seem to be determined by very inherent emotions and needs that are not easy to classify. However, the evidence creates the assumption that fashion, to some extent, dictates some aspect of social processing and lifestyle development but will vary in intensity depending on the specific profile that a fashion consumer maintains. 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