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Fashion, Postmodernity and Personal Appearance: A Symbolic Interactionist Formulation
Author(s) -
Kaiser Susan B.,
Nagasawa Richard H.,
Hutton Sandra S.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1525/si.1991.14.2.165
Subject(s) - ambivalence , symbolic interactionism , postmodernity , dialectic , meaning (existential) , ambiguity , sociology , the symbolic , aesthetics , negotiation , clothing , postmodernism , social psychology , psychology , epistemology , psychoanalysis , social science , art , computer science , philosophy , archaeology , psychotherapist , history , programming language
A theoretical explanation of fashion change is offered, drawing upon symbolic‐interactionist insights on fashion and appearance, and developing macro‐micro connections between cultural ambivalence and the negotiation of meaning as inspired by symbolic ambiguity in appearances. The postmodern condition, connected with advanced capitalism, spawns cultural ambivalence and a plethora of clothing styles that emerge, in part, to clarify and lend expression to ambivalence. A broad variety of clothing styles, however, coupled with tendencies toward production of self, contribute to a high degree of ambiguity in individually constructed appearances, the meaning of which must then be collectively negotiated in social interaction. Failure of clothing styles to resolve cultural ambivalence results in fashion change in an ongoing dialectic.

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