Journal source:
Gupta, Shipra, and James W. Gentry. “Construction of Gender Roles in Perceived Scarce Environments – Maintaining Masculinity When Shopping for Fast Fashion Apparel.” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, vol. 15, no. 3, 2015, pp. 251–260., https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1565.
This journal focuses on how our social environment can impact our gender identity expression through fashion. Our social environment can help construct our identities, and with gender identity we can look to society and gender norms that confirm or confine our gender identity expression. Historically, men would publicly express their distaste for such feminine activities to reconfirm their masculine identity. Recently, men are challenging the gender norm of fashion with increased interest in things like appearance, clothes, and skin care..
The dialectic of this dogma fueling men to believe they need to maintain a degree of this traditional masculinity and the onset of a new perspective of masculinity that is feminized presents a difficult dynamic for men in society. We are currently in a blurred line of what the gender norm for men is, previously being hyper-masculine, we are shifting into a feminie masculinity. Apparel industries are targeting this dynamic in men. As men are showing more interest in fashion, companies are considering men as serious consumers (not just women) and are providing hyper-masculine fashion for men that are feeding traditional gender norms for their gender identity. The act of shopping is seen as feminine, but they are confirming their traditional understanding of gender identity and norms by shopping for masculine things.
This journal speaks to the extent fashion can play a role in our social processes and identity expression. They explain that men confirm their traditional norms by shopping, a traditional feminine activity, in a masculine way. Within fast fashion contexts, they are more likely to be time conscious and competitive. This is another example of how fashion can impact our identity, especially with consideration of our social and cultural contexts and environments that can impact our perspective and expression of identity.
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