fashion psychology research topics

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

• Open access
• Published: 22 November 2014

Dress, body and self: research in the social psychology of dress

• Kim Johnson 1 ,
• Sharron J Lennon 2 &
• Nancy Rudd 3  

Fashion and Textiles volume  1 , Article number:  20 ( 2014 ) Cite this article

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The purpose of this research was to provide a critical review of key research areas within the social psychology of dress. The review addresses published research in two broad areas: (1) dress as a stimulus and its influence on (a) attributions by others, attributions about self, and on one's behavior and (2) relationships between dress, the body, and the self. We identify theoretical approaches used in conducting research in these areas, provide an abbreviated background of research in these areas highlighting key findings, and identify future research directions and possibilities. The subject matter presented features developing topics within the social psychology of dress and is useful for undergraduate students who want an overview of the content area. It is also useful for graduate students (1) who want to learn about the major scholars in these key areas of inquiry who have moved the field forward, or (2) who are looking for ideas for their own thesis or dissertation research. Finally, information in this paper is useful for professors who research or teach the social psychology of dress.

Introduction

A few social scientists in the 19 th Century studied dress as related to culture, individuals, and social groups, but it was not until the middle of the 20 th Century that home economists began to pursue a scholarly interest in social science aspects of dress (Roach-Higgins 1993 ). Dress is defined as “an assemblage of modifications of the body and/or supplements to the body” (Roach-Higgins & Eicher 1992 , p. 1). Body modifications include cosmetic use, suntanning, piercing, tattooing, dieting, exercising, and cosmetic surgery among others. Body supplements include, but are not limited to, accessories, clothing, hearing aids, and glasses. By the 1950s social science theories from economics, psychology, social psychology, and sociology were being used to study dress and human behavior (Rudd 1991 , p. 24).

A range of topics might be included under the phrase social psychology of dress but we use it to refer to research that attempts to answer questions concerned with how an individual’s dress-related beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by others and one’s self. The social psychology of dress is concerned with how an individual’s dress affects the behavior of self as well as the behavior of others toward the self (Johnson & Lennon 2014 ).

Among several topics that could be included in a critical review of research addressing the social psychology of dress, we focused our work on a review of published research in two broad areas: (1) dress as a stimulus and its influence on (a) attributions by others, attributions about self, and on one’s own behavior and (2) relationships between dress, the body, and the self. Our goal was to identify theoretical approaches used in conducting research in these areas, provide an abbreviated background of research in these areas highlighting key findings, and to identify future research directions and possibilities. The content presented features developing topics within the social psychology of dress and is useful for undergraduate students who want an overview of the content area. It is also useful for graduate students (1) who want to learn about the major scholars in these key areas of inquiry who have moved the field forward, or (2) who are looking for ideas for their own thesis or dissertation research. Finally, information in this paper is useful for professors who research or teach the social psychology of dress.

Body supplements as stimulus variables

In studying the social psychology of dress, researchers have often focused on dress as a stimulus variable; for example, the effects of dress on impression formation, attributions, and social perception (see Lennon & Davis 1989 ) or the effects of dress on behaviors (see Johnson et al. 2008 ). The context within which dress is perceived (Damhorst 1984-85 ) as well as characteristics of perceivers of clothed individuals (Burns & Lennon 1993 ) also has a profound effect on what is perceived about others. In the remainder of this section we focus on three research streams that center on dress (i.e., body supplements) as stimuli.

Provocative dress as stimuli

In the 1980s researchers were interested in women’s provocative (revealing, sexy) dress and the extent to which men and women attributed the same meaning to it. For example, both Edmonds and Cahoon ( 1986 ) and Cahoon and Edmonds ( 1987 ) found ratings of women who wore provocative dress were more negative than ratings of women who wore non-provocative dress. No specific theory was identified by these authors as guiding their research. Overall, when wearing provocative dress a model was rated more sexually appealing, more attractive, less faithful in marriage, more likely to engage in sexual teasing, more likely to use sex for personal gain, more likely to be sexually experienced, and more likely to be raped than when wearing conservative dress. Cahoon and Edmonds found that men and women made similar judgments, although men’s were more extreme than women’s. Abbey et al. ( 1987 ) studied whether women’s sexual intent and interest as conveyed by revealing dress was misinterpreted by men. The authors developed two dress conditions: revealing (slit skirt, low cut blouse, high heeled shoes) and non-revealing (skirt without a slit, blouse buttoned to neck, boots). Participants rated the stimulus person on a series of adjective traits. As compared to when wearing the non-revealing clothing, when wearing the revealing clothing the stimulus person was rated significantly more flirtatious, sexy, seductive, promiscuous, sophisticated, assertive, and less sincere and considerate. This research was not guided by theory.

Taking this research another step forward, in the 1990s dress researchers began to investigate how women’s provocative (revealing, sexy) dress was implicated in attributions of responsibility for their own sexual assaults (Lewis & Johnson 1989 ; Workman & Freeburg 1999 ; Workman & Orr 1996 ) and sexual harassment (Johnson & Workman 1992 , 1994 ; Workman & Johnson 1991 ). These researchers tended to use attribution theories (McLeod, 2010 ) to guide their research. Their results showed that provocative, skimpy, see-through, or short items of dress, as well as use of heavy makeup (body modification), were cues used to assign responsibility to women for their sexual assaults and experiences of sexual harassment. For example, Johnson and Workman ( 1992 ) studied likelihood of sexual harassment as a function of women’s provocative dress. A model was photographed wearing a dark suit jacket, above-the-knee skirt, a low-cut blouse, dark hose, and high heels (provocative condition) or wearing a dark suit jacket, below-the-knee skirt, high-cut blouse, neutral hose, and moderate heels (non-provocative condition). As compared to when wearing non-provocative dress, when wearing provocative dress the model was rated as significantly more likely to provoke sexual harassment and to be sexually harassed.

Recently, researchers have resurrected the topic of provocative (revealing, sexy) dress. However, their interest is in determining the extent to which women and girls are depicted in provocative dress in the media (in magazines, in online retail stores) and the potential consequences of those depictions, such as objectification. These researchers have often used objectification theory to guide their research. According to objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts 1997 ) women living in sexually saturated cultures are looked at, evaluated, and potentially objectified and treated as objects valued for their use by others. Objectification theory focuses on sexual objectification as a function of objectifying gaze, which is experienced in actual social encounters, media depictions of social encounters, and media depictions that focus on bodies and body parts. The theory explains that objectifying gaze evokes an objectified state of consciousness which influences self-perceptions. This objectified state of consciousness has consequences such as habitual body and appearance monitoring and requires cognitive effort that can result in difficulty with task performance (Szymanski et al. 2011 ). In such an environment, women may perceive their bodies from a third-person perspective, treating themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated.

Self-objectification occurs when people perceive and describe their bodies as a function of appearance instead of accomplishments (Harrison & Fredrickson 2003 ). Experimental research shows that self-objectification in women can be induced by revealing clothing manipulations such as asking women to try on and evaluate the fit of a swimsuit as compared to a bulky sweater (Fredrickson et al. 1998 ).

To examine changes in sexualizing (provocative) characteristics with which girls are portrayed in the media, researchers have content analyzed girls’ clothing in two magazines (Graff et al. 2013 ). Clothing was coded as having sexualizing characteristics (e.g., tightness, bare midriffs, high-heeled shoes) and childlike characteristics (e.g., frills, childlike print, pigtail hair styles). The researchers found an increase in sexualized aspects of dress in depictions of girls from 1971 through 2011. To determine the extent of sexualization in girls’ clothing, researchers have content analyzed girls’ clothing available on 15 retailer websites (Goodin et al. 2011 ). Every girl’s clothing item on each of the retailer websites was coded for sexualizing aspects; 4% was coded as definitely sexualizing. Ambiguously sexualizing clothing (25%) had both sexualizing and childlike characteristics. Abercrombie Kids’ clothing had a higher percentage of sexualizing characteristics than all the other stores (44% versus 4%). These two studies document that girls are increasingly depicted in sexualizing clothing in U.S. media and that they are offered sexualized clothing by major retailers via their websites.

Since girls are increasingly sexualized, to determine if sexualized dress affects how girls are perceived by others Graff et al. ( 2012 ) designed an experiment wherein they manipulated the sexualizing aspects of the clothing of a 5 th grade girl. There were three clothing conditions: childlike (a grey t-shirt, jeans, and black Mary Jane shoes), ambiguously sexualized (leopard print dress of moderate length), highly sexualized (short dress, leopard print cardigan, purse). In the definitely sexualized condition, undergraduate students rated the girl as less moral, self-respecting, capable, determined, competent, and intelligent than when she was depicted in either the childlike or the ambiguously sexualized conditions. Thus, wearing sexualized clothing can affect how girls are perceived by others, so it is possible that sexualized clothing could lead to self-objectification in girls just as in the case of women (Tiggemann & Andrew 2012 ).

Objectification theory has been useful in identifying probable processes underlying the association between women’s provocative dress and negative inferences. In a study using adult stimuli, Gurung and Chrouser ( 2007 ) presented photos of female Olympic athletes in uniform and in provocative (defined as minimal) dress. College women rated the photos and when provocatively dressed, as compared to the uniform condition, the women were rated as more attractive, more feminine, more sexually experienced, more desirable, but also less capable, less strong, less determined, less intelligent, and as having less self-respect. These results are similar to what had previously been found by researchers in the 1980s (Abbey et al. 1987 ; Cahoon & Edmonds 1987 ; Edmonds & Cahoon 1986 ). This outcome is considered objectifying because the overall impression is negative and sexist. Thus, this line of research does more than demonstrate that provocative dress evokes inferences, it suggests the process by which that occurs: provocative dress leads to objectification of the woman so dressed and it is the objectification that leads to the inferences.

In a more direct assessment of the relationship between provocative dress and objectification of others, Holland and Haslam ( 2013 ) manipulated the dress (provocative or plain clothing) of two models (thin or overweight) who were rated equally attractive in facial attractiveness. Since objectification involves inspecting the body, the authors measured participants’ attention to the models’ bodies. Objectification also involves denying human qualities to the objectified person. Two such qualities are perceived agency (e.g., ability to think and form intentions) and moral agency (e.g., capacity to engage in moral or immoral actions). Several findings are relevant to the research on provocative dress. As compared to models wearing plain clothing, models wearing provocative clothing were attributed less perceived agency (e.g., ability to reason, ability to choose) and less moral agency [e.g., “how intentional do you believe the woman’s behavior is?” (p. 463)]. Results showed that more objectified gaze was directed toward the bodies of the models when they were dressed in provocative clothing as compared to when dressed in plain clothing. This outcome is considered objectifying because the models’ bodies were inspected more when wearing provocative dress, and because in that condition they were perceived as having less of the qualities normally attributed to humans.

In an experimental study guided by objectification theory, Tiggemann and Andrew ( 2012 ) studied the effects of clothing on self-perceptions of state self-objectification, state body shame, state body dissatisfaction, and negative mood. However, unlike studies (e.g., Fredrickson et al. 1998 ) in which participants were asked to try on and evaluate either a bathing suit or a sweater, Tiggemann and Andrew instructed their participants to “imagine what you would be seeing, feeling, and thinking” (p. 648) in scenarios. There were four scenarios: thinking about wearing a bathing suit in public, thinking about wearing a bathing suit in a dressing room, thinking about wearing a sweater in public, and thinking about wearing a sweater in a dressing room. The researchers found main effects for clothing such that as compared to thinking about wearing a sweater, thinking about wearing a bathing suit resulted in higher state self-objectification, higher state body shame, higher state body dissatisfaction, and greater negative mood. The fact that the manipulation only involved thinking about wearing clothing, rather than actually wearing such clothing, demonstrates the power of revealing (provocative, sexy) dress in that we only have to think about wearing it to have it affect our self-perceptions.

Taking extant research into account we encourage researchers to continue to investigate the topic of provocative (sexy, revealing) dress for both men and women to replicate the results for women and to determine if revealing dress for men might evoke the kinds of inferences evoked by women wearing revealing dress. Furthermore, research that delineates the role of objectification in the process by which this association between dress and inferences occurs would be useful. Although it would not be ethical to use the experimental strategy used by previous researchers (Fredrickson et al. 1998 ) with children, it is possible that researchers could devise correlational studies to investigate the extent to which wearing and/or viewing sexualized clothing might lead to self- and other-objectification in girls.

Research on red dress

Researchers who study the social psychology of dress have seldom focused on dress color. However, in the 1980s and 1990s a few researchers investigated color in the context of retail color analysis systems that focused on personal coloring (Abramov 1985 ; Francis & Evans 1987 ; Hilliker & Rogers 1988 ; Radeloff 1991 ). For example, Francis and Evans found that stimulus persons were actually perceived positively when not wearing their recommended personal colors. Hilliker and Rogers surveyed managers of apparel stores about the use of color analysis systems and found some impact on the marketplace, but disagreement among the managers on the value of the systems. Abramov critiqued color analysis for being unclear, ambiguous, and for the inability to substantiate claims. Most of these studies were not guided by a psychological theory of color.

Since the 1990s, researchers have developed a theory of color psychology (Elliot & Maier 2007 ) called color-in-context theory. Like other variables that affect social perception, the theory explains that color also conveys meaning which varies as a function of the context in which the color is perceived. Accordingly, the meanings of colors are learned over time through repeated pairings with a particular experience or message (e.g., red stop light and danger) or with biological tendencies to respond to color in certain contexts. For example, female non-human primates display red on parts of their bodies when nearing ovulation; hence red is associated with lust, fertility, and sexuality (Guéguen and Jacob 2013 ). As a function of these associations between colors and experiences, messages, or biological tendencies, people either display approach responses or avoidance responses but are largely unaware of how color affects them. In this section we review studies that examine the effects of red in relational contexts such as interpersonal attraction. However, there is evidence that red is detrimental in achievement (i.e., academic or hiring) contexts (e.g., Maier et al. 2013 ) and that red signals dominance and affects outcomes in competitive sporting contests (e.g., Feltman and Elliot 2011 ; Hagemann et al. 2008 ).

Recently researchers have used color-in-context theory to study the effects of red dress (shirts, dresses) on impressions related to sexual intent, attractiveness, dominance, and competence. Some of these studies were guided by color-in-context theory. Guéguen ( 2012 ) studied men’s perceptions of women’s sexual intent and attractiveness as a function of shirt color. Male participants viewed a photo of a woman wearing a t-shirt that varied in color. When wearing a red t-shirt as compared to the other colors, the woman was judged to be more attractive and to have greater sexual intent. Pazda et al. ( 2014a , [ b ]) conducted an experiment designed to determine why men perceive women who wear red to be more attractive than those who wear other colors. They argued that red is associated with sexual receptivity due to cultural pairings of red and female sexuality (e.g., red light district, sexy red lingerie). Men participated in an online experiment in which they were exposed to a woman wearing either a red, black, or white dress. When wearing the red dress the woman was rated as more sexually receptive than when wearing either the white or the black dresses. The woman was also rated on attractiveness and by performing a mediation analysis the researchers determined that when wearing the red dress, the ratings of her attractiveness as a function of red were no longer significant; in other words, the reason she was rated as more attractive when wearing the red dress was due to the fact that she was also perceived as more sexually receptive.

Pazda et al. ( 2014a , [ b ]), interested in women’s perceptions of other women as a function of their clothing color, conducted a series of experiments. They reasoned that like men, women would also make the connection between a woman’s red dress and her sexual receptivity and perceive her to be a sexual competitor. In their first experiment they found that women rated the stimulus woman as more sexually receptive when wearing a red dress as compared to when she was wearing a white dress. In a second experiment the woman wearing a red dress was not only rated more sexually receptive, she was also derogated more since ratings of her sexual fidelity were lower when wearing a red dress as compared to a white dress. Finally, in a third experiment the stimulus woman was again rated more sexually receptive; this time when she wore a red shirt as compared to when she wore a green shirt. The authors assessed the likelihood that their respondents would introduce the stimulus person to their boyfriends and the likelihood that they would let their boyfriends spend time with the stimulus person. Participants in the red shirt condition were more likely to keep their boyfriends from interacting with the stimulus person than participants in the green shirt condition. Thus, both men and women indicated women wearing red are sexually receptive.

Also interested in color, Roberts et al. ( 2010 ) were interested in determining whether clothing color affects the wearer of the clothing (e.g., do women act provocatively when wearing red clothing?) or does clothing color affect the perceiver of the person wearing the colored clothing. To answer this question, they devised a complicated series of experiments. In the first study, male and female models (ten of each) were photographed wearing each of six different colors of t-shirts. Undergraduates of the opposite sex rated the photographed models on attractiveness. Both male and female models were rated most attractive when wearing red and black t-shirts. In study two the same photos were used, but the t-shirts were masked by a gray rectangle. Compared to when they wore white t-shirts, male models were judged to be more attractive by both men and women when they wore the red t-shirts, even though the red color was not visible. In the third study the t-shirt colors in the photos were digitally altered, so that images could be compared in which red or white t-shirts were worn with those in which red had been altered to white and white had been altered to red. Male models wearing red were rated more attractive than male models wearing white that had been altered to appear red. Also male models wearing red shirts digitally altered to appear white were rated more attractive than male models actually photographed in white. These effects did not occur for female models. The authors reasoned that if clothing color only affected perceivers, then the results should be the same when a model is photographed in red as well as when the model is photographed in white which is subsequently altered to appear red. Since this did not happen, the authors concluded that clothing color affects both the wearer and the perceiver.

In addition, the effects of red dress on impressions also extend to behaviors. Kayser et al. ( 2010 ) conducted a series of experiments. For experiment one, a female stimulus person was photographed in either a red t-shirt or a green one. Male participants were shown a photo of the woman and given a list of questions from which to choose five to ask her. Because women wearing red are perceived to be more sexually receptive and to have greater sexual intent than when wearing other colors, the researchers expected the men who saw the woman in the red dress to select intimate questions to ask and this is what they found. In a second experiment, the female stimulus person wore either a red or a blue t-shirt. After seeing her picture the male participants were told that they would be interacting with her, where she would be sitting, and that they could place their chairs wherever they wished to sit. The men expecting to interact with the red-shirted woman placed their chairs significantly closer to her chair than when they expected to interact with a blue-shirted woman.

In a field experiment (Guéguen 2012 ), five female confederates wore t-shirts of red or other colors and stood by the side of a road to hitchhike. The t-shirt color did not affect women drivers, but significantly more men stopped to pick up the female confederates when they wore the red t-shirts as compared to all the other colors. In a similar study researchers (Guéguen & Jacob 2013 ) altered the color of a woman’s clothing on an online meeting site so that the woman was shown wearing red or several other colors. The women received significantly more contacts when her clothing had been altered to be red than any of the other t-shirt colors.

Researchers should continue conducting research about the color of dress items using color-in-context theory. One context important to consider in this research stream is the cultural context within which the research is conducted. To begin, other colors in addition to red should be studied for their meanings within and across cultural contexts. Since red is associated with sexual receptivity, red clothing should be investigated in the context of the research on provocative dress. For example, would women wearing red revealing dress be judged more provocative than women wearing the same clothing in different colors? Also researchers interested in girls’ and women’s depictions in the media, could investigate the effects of red dress on perceptions of sexual intent and objectification.

Effects of dress on the behavior of the wearer

Several researchers studying the social psychology of dress have reviewed the research literature (Davis 1984 ; Lennon and Davis 1989 ) and some have analyzed that research (see Damhorst 1990 ; Hutton 1984 ; Johnson et al. 2008 for reviews). In these reviews, Damhorst and Hutton focused on the effect of dress on person perception or impression formation. Johnson et al., however, focused their analysis on behaviors evoked by dress. An emerging line of research focuses on the effects of dress on the behavior of the wearer (Adam and Galinsky 2012 ; Frank and Galinsky 1988 ; Fredrickson et al. 1998 ; Gino et al. 2010 ; Hebl et al. 2004 ; Kouchaki et al. 2014 ; Martins et al. 2007 ).

Fredrickson et al. ( 1998 ), Hebl et al. ( 2004 ), and Martins et al. ( 2007 ) all used objectification theory to guide experiments about women’s and men’s body image experience. They were interested in the extent to which wearing revealing dress could trigger self-objectification. The theory predicts that self-objectification manifests in performance detriments on a task subsequent to a self-objectifying experience. Frederickson et al. had participants complete a shopping task. They entered a dressing room, tried on either a one piece swimsuit or a bulky sweater, and evaluated the fit in a mirror as they would if buying the garment. Then they completed a math performance test. The women who wore a swimsuit performed more poorly on the math test than women wearing a sweater; no such effects were found for men. A few years later Hebl et al. ( 2004 ) used the same procedure to study ethnic differences in self-objectification. Participants were Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Asian American undergraduate men and women. Participants completed the same shopping task and math test. Participants who tried on the swimsuits performed worse on the math test than participants who tried on the sweater and these results held for both men and women of all ethnicities.

Martins et al. ( 2007 ) used the same shopping task as Frederickson et al. ( 1998 ) and Hebl et al. ( 2004 ), but employed a different behavioral measure. Their participants were gay and heterosexual men and the garment they tried on was either Speedo men’s briefs or a turtleneck sweater. After the shopping task the men were given the opportunity to sample and evaluate a snack and the amount eaten was measured. Wearing the Speedo affected eating for the gay men, but not the heterosexual men, such that gay men in the Speedo condition ate significantly less of the snack than gay men in the sweater condition. Taken together these studies demonstrate that a nominal clothing manipulation can have effects on the behavior of the wearer.

In one of the first studies to demonstrate the effects of clothing on the wearer, Frank and Gilovich ( 1988 ) noted that the color black is associated with evil and death in many cultures. They studied the extent to which players wearing black uniforms were judged more evil and aggressive than players wearing uniforms of other colors. They analyzed penalties awarded for aggressive behavior in football and ice hockey players. Players who wore black uniforms received more penalties for their aggressive behavior than those who wore other uniform colors. Since the penalty results could be due to biased refereeing, the authors videotaped a staged football game in which the defensive team wore either black or white uniforms. The same events were depicted in each version of the videotape. Participants watched short videos and rated the plays as more aggressive when the team members wore black as compared to white uniforms. In another part of the study, participants were assigned to wear either black or white uniform shirts. While wearing the shirts they were asked the type of games they would like to play; the black-shirted participants selected more aggressive games than the white-shirted participants. The authors interpreted the results of all the studies to mean that players wearing black are aggressive. Yet, when the level of aggressiveness was held constant in the staged football game, referees still perceived black-uniformed players to be more aggressive than white-uniformed players. The authors concluded that the color of the black uniform affects the wearer and the perceiver. This study’s results are similar to those of the researchers studying red dress who found that the color red is associated with a cultural meaning that affects both the wearer and the perceiver of the red dress (Roberts et al. 2010 ).

In a similar way, Adam and Galinsky ( 2012 ) determined that when clothing has symbolic meaning for the wearer, it also affects the wearer’s behavior. The researchers found that a white lab coat was associated with traits related to attentiveness. Then they conducted an experiment in which one group wore a white lab coat described as a painter’s coat and another group wore the same lab coat which was described as a medical doctor’s lab coat. A third group saw, but did not wear, a lab coat described as a medical doctor’s lab coat. Participants then performed an experimental task that required selective attention. The group that wore the coat described as a medical doctor’s lab coat outperformed both of the other two groups.

Gino et al. ( 2010 ) studied the effects of wearing designer sunglasses that were described either as counterfeit or authentic Chloe sunglasses on one’s own behaviors and perceptions of others. Although counterfeits convey status to others, they also mean that the wearers are pretending to be something they are not (i.e., wealthy enough to purchase authentic sunglasses). Participants who thought they were wearing fake sunglasses cheated significantly more on two experimental tasks than those who thought they were wearing authentic sunglasses. In a second experiment, the researchers showed that participants who believed they were wearing counterfeit sunglasses perceived others’ behaviors as more dishonest, less truthful, and more likely to be unethical than those wearing authentic sunglasses. In a third experiment the researchers showed that the effect for wearing counterfeit sunglasses on one’s own behavior was due to the meaning of inauthenticity attributed to the counterfeit sunglasses. Consistent with Adam and Galinsky ( 2012 ) and Frank and Gilovich (1988), in Gino et al. the effect of dress on one’s own behavior was due to the meaning of the dress cue in a context relevant to the meaning of that dress cue. While none of these three studies articulated a specific theory to guide their research, Adams and Galinsky outlined an enclothed cognition framework, which explained that dress affects wearers due to the symbolic meaning of the dress and the physical experience of wearing that dress item.

To summarize the research on the effects of dress on the behavior of the wearer, each of these studies reported research focused on a dress cue associated with cultural meaning. Some of the researchers had to first determine that meaning. The manipulations were designed so that the meaning of the dress cues was salient for the context of the manipulation. For example, in the objectification studies the revealingness of dress was varied in the context of a dressing room mirror where the revealing nature of the cue would be relevant. So to extend the enclothed cognition framework, we suggest that for dress to affect the wearer, the context of the experimental task needs to be such that the meaning of the dress item is salient.

Future researchers may continue to pursue the effects of dress on the wearer. The extended enclothed cognition framework could be applied to school uniforms. A possible research question could be that if school uniforms are associated with powerlessness among schoolchildren, would wearing school uniforms affect the level of effort children expend to solve homework problems or write papers?

It is interesting that previous researchers who examined the effect of school uniforms on various tasks did not ask children what associations uniforms had for them (e.g., Behling 1994 , 1995 ; Behling and Williams 1991 ). This question is clearly an avenue for renewed research in this area. Another situation to which the extended enclothed cognition framework might be investigated is in the context of professional sports. Since wearing a sweatshirt or cap with a professional team’s logo is associated with being a fan of that team, would people wearing those items evaluate that team’s performance higher than people wearing another team’s logos? Would they provide more excuses for their team than fans not wearing the team’s logos? We encourage researchers to continue to investigate the effects of dress on one’s own behaviors utilizing a range of dress cues (e.g., cosmetics, tattoos, and piercings).

Dress and the self

An ongoing area of research within the social psychology of dress is relationships between dress and the self. Although some researchers use the terms identity and self interchangeably, it is our position that they are not the same concepts but are related. We begin our discussion of the self with research on the body.

The physical body and the self

Whereas the first section of our review focused on body supplements (i.e., the clothed body), this section focuses on body modifications or how the body is altered. Within this discussion, the two research directions that we include are (1) body modifications that carry some risk, as opposed to routine modifications that typically do not, and (2) the influence of body talk and social comparison as variables influencing body image.

Body modifications that carry some risk

Societal standards of attractiveness in the Western world often focus on a thin appearance for women and a mesomorphic but muscular appearance for men (Karazia et al. 2013 ). Internalization of societal standards presented through various media outlets is widely recognized as a primary predictor of body dissatisfaction and risky appearance management behaviors including eating pathology among women (Cafri et al. 2005a , [ b ]), muscle enhancement and disordered eating behaviors in men (Tylka 2011 ), tattooing among young adults (Mun et al. 2012 ), and tanning among adolescents (Prior et al. 2014 ; Yoo & Kim, 2014 ). While there are several other risky appearance management behaviors in the early stages of investigation (e.g., extreme body makeovers, cosmetic procedures on male and female private parts, multiple cosmetic procedures), we isolate just a few behaviors to illustrate the impact of changing standards of attractiveness on widespread appearance management practices in the presentation of self.

Experimental research has demonstrated that exposure to social and cultural norms for appearance (via idealized images) leads to greater dissatisfaction with the body in general for both men and women (Blond 2008 ; Grabe et al. 2008 ); yet a meta-analysis of eight research studies conducted in real life settings suggested that these appearance norms were more rigid, narrowly defined, and prevalent for women than for men (Buote et al. 2011 ). These researchers also noted that women reported frequent exposure to social norms of appearance (i.e., considered bombardment by many women), the norms themselves were unrealistic, yet the nature of the messages was that these norms are perfectly attainable with enough time, money, and effort. Men, on the other hand, indicated that they were exposed to flexible social norms of appearance, and therefore report feeling less pressure to attain a particular standard in presenting their appearance to others (Buote et al. 2011 ).

Eating disorders

A recent stream of research related to individuals with eating disorders is concerned with the practice of body checking (i.e., weighing, measuring or otherwise assessing body parts through pinching, sucking in the abdomen, tapping it for flatness). Such checking behaviors may morph into body avoidance (i.e., avoiding looking in mirrors or windows at one’s reflection, avoiding gym locker rooms or situations involving showing the body to others) (White & Warren 2011 ), the manifestation of eating disorders (Haase et al. 2011 ), obsession with one’s weight or body shape, and a critical evaluation of either aspect (Smeets et al. 2011 ). The propensity to engage in body checking appears to be tied to ethnicity as White and Warren found, in their comparison of Caucasian women and women of color (Asian American, African American, and Latin American). They found significant differences in body checking and avoidance behaviors in Caucasian women and Asian American women over African American and Latin American women. Across all the women, White and Warren found positive and significant correlations between body checking and (1) avoidance behaviors and higher body mass index, (2) internalization of a thin ideal appearance, (3) eating disturbances, and (4) other clinical impairments such as debilitating negative thoughts.

Another characteristic of individuals with eating disorders is that they habitually weigh themselves. Self-weighing behaviors and their connection to body modification has been the focus of several researchers. Research teams have documented that self-weighing led to weight loss maintenance (Butryn et al. 2007 ) and prevention of weight gain (Levitsky et al. 2006 ). Other researchers found that self-weighing contributed to risky weight control behaviors such as fasting (Neumark-Sztainer et al. 2006 ) and even to weight gain (Needham et al. 2010 ). Lately, gender differences have also been investigated relative to self-weighing. Klos et al. ( 2012 ) found self-weighing was related to a strong investment in appearance, preoccupation with body shape, and higher weight among women. However, among men self-weighing was related to body satisfaction, investment in health and fitness, and positive evaluation of health.

One interesting departure from weight as a generalized aspect of body concern among women is the examination of wedding-related weight change. Considering the enormous cost of weddings, estimated to average $20,000 in the United States (Wong 2005 ), and the number of wedding magazines, websites, and self-help books on weddings (Villepigue et al. 2005 ), it is not surprising that many brides-to-be want to lose weight for their special occasion. Researchers have shown that an average amount of intended weight loss prior to a wedding is 20 pounds in both the U.S. and Australia with between 12% and 33% of brides-to-be reporting that they had been advised by someone else to lose weight (Prichard & Tiggemann 2009 ). About 50% of brides hoped to achieve weight loss, yet most brides did not actually experience a change in weight (Prichard & Tiggemann, 2014 ); however, when questioned about six months after their weddings, brides indicated that they had gained about four pounds. Those who were told to lose weight by significant others such as friends, family members, or fiancé gained significantly more than those who were not told to do so, suggesting that wedding-related weight change can have repercussions for post wedding body satisfaction and eating behaviors. Regaining weight is typical, given that many people who lose weight regain it with a year or so of losing it.

Drive for muscularity

Researchers have found that body modifications practiced by men are related more to developing muscularity than to striving for a thin body (Cafri et al. 2005a , [ b ]) with particular emphasis placed on developing the upper body areas of chest and biceps (Thompson & Cafri 2007 ). The means to achieve this body modification may include risky behaviors such as excessive exercise and weight training, extreme dieting and dehydration to emphasize musculature, and use of appearance or performance enhancing substances (Hildebrandt et al. 2010 ).

One possible explanation for men’s drive for muscularity may be objectification. While objectification theory was originally proposed to address women’s objectification, it has been extended to men (Hebl et al. 2004 ; Martins et al. 2007 ). These researchers determined that like women, men are objectified in Western and westernized culture and can be induced to self-objectify via revealing clothing manipulations.

Researchers have also examined how men are affected by media imagery that features buff, well-muscled, thin, attractive male bodies as the aesthetic norm. Kolbe and Albanese ( 1996 ) undertook a content analysis of men’s lifestyle magazines and found that most of the advertised male bodies were not “ordinary,” but were strong and hard bodies, or as the authors concluded, objectified and depersonalized. Pope et al. ( 2000 ) found that advertisements for many types of products from cars to underwear utilized male models with body-builder physiques (i.e., exaggerated “6 pack” abdominal muscles, huge chests and shoulders, yet lean); they suggested that men had become focused on muscularity as a cultural symbol of masculinity because they perceived that women were usurping some of their social standing in the workforce. Hellmich ( 2000 ) concurred and suggested that men were overwhelmed with images of half-naked, muscular men and that they too were targets of objectification. Other researchers (e.g., Elliott & Elliott 2005 ; Patterson & England 2000 ) confirmed these findings – that most images in men’s magazines featured mesomorphic, strong, muscular, and hyper-masculine bodies.

How do men respond to such advertising images? Elliott and Elliott ( 2005 ) conducted focus interviews with 40 male college students, ages 18-31, and showed them six different advertisements in lifestyles magazines. They found six distinct types of response, two negative, two neutral, and two positive. Negative responses were (1) homophobic (those who saw the ads as stereotypically homosexual, bordering on pornography), perhaps threatening their own perceived masculinity or (2) gender stereotyping (those who saw the ads as depicting body consciousness or vanity, traits that they considered to be feminine). Neutral responses were (3) legitimizing exploitation as a marketing tool (those who recognized that naked chests or exaggerated body parts were shown and sometimes with no heads, making them less than human, but recognizing that sex sells products), and (4) disassociating oneself from the muscular body ideals shown in the ads (recognizing that the images represented unattainable body types or shapes). Positive responses were (5) admiration of real or attainable “average” male bodies and (6) appreciating some naked advertising images as art, rather than as sexual objects. The researchers concluded that men do see their gender objectified in advertising, resulting in different responses or perceived threats to self.

There is evidence that experiencing these objectified images of the male body is also partially responsible for muscle dysmorphia, a condition in which men become obsessed with achieving muscularity (Leit et al. 2002 ). Understanding contributors to the development of muscle dysmorphia is important as the condition can lead to risky appearance management behaviors such as extreme body-building, eating disorders, and use of anabolic steroids to gain bulk (Bradley et al. 2014 ; Maida & Armstrong 2005 ). In an experiment, Maida and Armstrong exposed 82 undergraduate men to 30 slides of advertisements and then asked them to complete a body image perception test. Men’s body satisfaction was affected by exposure to the images, such that they wanted to be notably more muscular than they were.

Contemporary researchers have found that drive for muscularity is heightened among men when there is a perceived threat to their masculinity such as performance on some task (Steinfeldt et al. 2011 ) or perceiving that they hold some less masculine traits (Blashill, 2011). Conversely, researchers have also suggested that body dissatisfaction and drive for muscularity can be reduced by developing a mindfulness approach to the body characterized by attention to present-moment experiences such as how one might feel during a certain activity like yoga or riding a bicycle (Lavender et al. 2012 ). While the investigation of mindfulness to mitigate negative body image and negative appearance behaviors is relatively new, it is a promising area of investigation.

Tattooing is not necessarily a risky behavior in and of itself, as most tattoo parlors take health precautions with the use of sterile instruments and clean environments. However, research has focused on other risk-taking behaviors that tattooed individuals may engage in, including drinking, smoking, shoplifting, and drug use (Deschesnes et al. 2006 ) as well as and early and risky sexual activity (Koch, Roberts, Armstrong, & Owen, 2007). Tattoos have also been studied as a bodily expression of uniqueness (Mun et al. 2012 ; Tiggemann & Hopkins 2011 ) but not necessarily reflecting a stronger investment in appearance (Tiggemann & Hopkins 2011 ).

Tanning behaviors are strongly associated with skin cancer, just as smoking is associated with lung cancer. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization has classified ultraviolet radiation from the sun and tanning devices that emit ultraviolet light as group 1 carcinogens, placing ultraviolet radiation in the same category as tobacco use (World Health Organization, 2012 ). Yet, tanning behaviors are prevalent among many young adults and adolescents causing them to be at increased risk of skin cancer, particularly with indoor tanning devices (Boniol et al. 2012 ; Lostritto et al. 2012 ). Studies of motives for tanning among these populations suggest that greater tanning behavior, for both genders, is correlated with high investment in appearance, media influences, and the influence of friends and significant others (Prior et al. 2014 ). Frequent tanning behaviors in adolescent boys have been related to extreme weight control, substance use, and victimization (Blashill 2013 ). Among young adults, Yoo and Kim ( 2014 ) identified three attitudes toward tanning that were related to tanning behaviors. The attitude that tanning was a pleasurable activity influenced indoor and outdoor tanning behaviors. The attitude that a tan enhances physical attractiveness influenced use of tanning beds and sunless tanning products. The attitude that tanning is a healthy behavior influenced outdoor tanning. They advised that tanning behaviors could be studied further particularly in relation to other risky behaviors.

Body talk and the self

A relatively recent line of investigation concerns the impact of talk about the body on perceptions of self. One would think that communication among friends would typically strengthen feelings of self-esteem and psychological well-being (Knickmeyer et al. 2002 ). Yet, certain types of communication, such as complaining about one’s body or appearance, may negatively impact feelings about the self (Tucker et al. 2007 ), particularly in the case of “fat talk” or disparaging comments about body size, weight, and fear of becoming fat (Ousley et al. 2008 ; Warren et al. 2012 ). Such fat talk has become normative behavior among women and, according to one study, occurs in over 90% of women (Salk & Engeln-Maddox 2011 ) and, according to another study, occurs in women of all ages and body sizes (Martz et al. 2009 ) because women feel pressure to be self-critical about their bodies. More women than men reported exposure to fat talk in their circle of friends and acquaintances and greater pressure to engage in it (Salk & Engeln-Maddox). Thus, fat talk extends body dissatisfaction into interpersonal relationships (Arroyo & Harwood 2012 ).

Sladek et al. ( 2014 ) reported a series of studies that elaborated on the investigation of body talk among men, concluding that men’s body talk has two distinct aspects, one related to weight and the other to muscularity. After developing a scale that showed strong test-retest reliability among college men, they found that body talk about muscularity was associated with dissatisfaction with the upper body, strong drive for muscularity, symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, and investment in appearance. Body talk about weight was associated with upper body dissatisfaction, symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. They suggest future research in body talk conversations among men and boys of all ages, from different cultural backgrounds, and in different contexts.

Negative body talk among men appears to be less straightforward than that among women (Engeln et al. 2013 ). These researchers reported that men’s body talk included both positive elements and negative elements, while that of women tended to focus on the negative, perhaps reflecting an accepting body culture among men in which they can praise one another as well as commiserate with other men on issues regarding muscularity and weight. Yet, both muscle talk and fat talk were found to decrease state appearance self-esteem and to increase state body dissatisfaction among men.

While the fat talk literature clearly establishes the normative occurrence of this type of communication, as well as establishes the negative impact on the self, the literature has not delved into theoretical explanations for its existence. Arroyo ( 2014 ) has posited a relationship between fat talk and three body image theories (self-discrepancy, social comparison, and objectification), and suggested that degree of body dissatisfaction could serve as a mediating mechanism. Self-discrepancy theory suggests that the discrepancy between one’s actual self and one’s ideal self on any variable, such as weight or attractiveness, motivates people to try to achieve that ideal (Jacobi & Cash 1994 ). Social comparison theory (Festinger 1954 ) explains that we compare ourselves to others on some variable of comparison. When we compare ourselves to others who we believe to be better than ourselves (upward comparison) on this variable (say, for example, thinner or more attractive), we may feel worse about ourselves and engage in both non-risky and risky behaviors such as extreme weight control to try to meet those expectations (Ridolfi et al. 2011 ; Rudd & Lennon 1994 ). Objectification theory, as mentioned earlier in this paper, states that bodies are treated as objects to be evaluated and perceived by others (Szymanski et al. 2011 ); self-objectification occurs when individuals look upon themselves as objects to be evaluated by others.

Arroyo ( 2014 ) surveyed 201 college women to see what effect weight discrepancy, upward comparison, and objectified body consciousness had on fat talk; a mediating variable of body dissatisfaction was investigated. She found that how satisfied or dissatisfied the women did indeed impact how they felt about each variable. Each of the three predictor variables was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and higher body dissatisfaction predicted fat talk. She concluded that fat talk is more insidious than other social behaviors; it is a type of communication that perpetuates negative perceptions among women as well as the attitude that women should be dissatisfied with their bodies. Future research suggestions included examining the impact of downward social comparisons (in which the individual assumes they fare better than peers on the variables of comparison, such as weight), and examining all three phenomena of self-discrepancy, social comparison, and objectification together to determine their cumulative impact on self-disparaging talk.

Negative body talk or fat talk is related to perceptions about the self and to appearance-management behaviors in presenting the self to others. In a sample of 203 young adult women, negative body talk was related to body dissatisfaction and poor self-esteem, and was associated with stronger investment in appearance, distorted thoughts about the body, disordered eating behavior, and depression (Rudiger & Winstead 2013 ). Positive body talk was related to fewer cognitive distortions of the body, high body satisfaction, high self-esteem, and friendship quality. Another form of body talk, co-rumination or the mutual sharing between friends of negative thoughts and feelings, is thought to intensify the impact of body talk. In this same study, co-rumination was related to frequent cognitive distortions of the body as well as disordered eating behaviors, but to high perceived friendship quality. Thus, negative body talk achieved no positive outcomes, yet co-rumination achieved negative outcomes for the self, but positive outcomes for quality of friendship. Thus, future research could tease apart the specific components of the social phenomenon of co-rumination in relation to self-perceptions and appearance management behaviors.

Dress and self as distinct from others

Shifting attention from relationships between the body and self, we move to a discussion of relationships between dress and that aspect of the self that is concerned with answering questions about who we are as distinct and unique individuals (e.g., what type of person am I?). Earlier we shared research about how wearing certain article of dress might impact one’s own physical behaviors. We shift now to sharing research addressing the role dress might play in thinking about oneself as a unique and distinct individual (i.e., self-perceptions). Researchers addressing this topic have utilized Bem’s ( 1972 ) self-perception theory. Bem proposed that similar to the processes we use in forming inferences about others, we can form inferences about ourselves. Bem argues that people’s understanding of their own traits was, in some circumstances, an assessment of their own behaviors. This process was proposed to be particularly relevant to individuals who were responsive to self-produced cues (i.e., cues that arise from an individual’s own behavior or characteristics).

In the 1980s, Kellerman and Laird ( 1982 ) utilized self-perception theory to see whether wearing a specific item of dress (e.g., eye glasses) would influence peoples’ ratings of their own skills and abilities. They conducted an experiment with undergraduate students having them rate themselves on an array of traits when wearing and when not wearing glasses and to complete a hidden figures test. Although there were no significant differences in their performance on the test, the participants’ ratings of their competence and intelligence was higher when wearing glasses than when not. In related research, Solomon and Schopler ( 1982 ) found that both men and women indicated that the appropriateness of their clothing affected their mood.

Studying dress specifically within a workplace context, in the 1990s Kwon ( 1994 ) did not have her participants actually wear different clothing styles but asked them to project how they might think about themselves if they were to wear appropriate versus inappropriate clothing to work. Participants indicated they would feel more competent and responsible if they wore appropriate rather than inappropriate clothing. Similarly, Rafaeli et al. ( 1997 ) a found that employees indicated a link between self-perception and clothing associating psychological discomfort with wearing inappropriate dress for work and increased social self-confidence with appropriate attire. Nearly ten years later, Adomaitis and Johnson ( 2005 ) in a study of flight attendants found that the attendants linked wearing casual uniforms for work (e.g., t-shirt, shorts) with negative self-perceptions (e.g., nonauthoritative, embarrassment, unconfident, unprofessional). Likewise, Peluchette and Karl ( 2007 ) investigating the impact of formal versus casual attire in the workplace found that their participants viewed themselves as most authoritative, trustworthy, productive and competent when wearing formal business attire but as friendliest when wearing casual or business casual attire. Continuing this line of research with individuals employed in the public sector, Karl et al. ( 2013 ) reported participants indicated they felt more competent and authoritative when in formal business or business casual attire and least creative and friendly when wearing casual dress.

As workplace dress has become casual, it would be useful for researchers to uncover any distinctions in casualness that make individuals feel more or less competent, respected, or authoritative. Another aspect of clothing that could be investigated is fit as it might impact self-perceptions or use of makeup.

Guy and Banim ( 2000 ) were interested in how clothing was used as means of self-presentation in everyday life. They implemented three strategies to meet their research objective of investigating women’s relationships to their clothing: a personal account, a clothing diary, and a wardrobe interview. The personal account was a written or tape recorded response to the question “what clothing means to me.” The clothing diary was a daily log kept for two weeks. The wardrobe interview was centered on participants’ current collection of clothing. Participants were undergraduates and professional women representing several age cohorts. The researchers identified three distinct perspectives of self relative to the women’s clothing. The first was labeled “the woman I want to be”. This category of responses revealed that the women used clothing to formulate positive self-projections. Favorite items of clothing in particular were identified as useful in bridging the gap between “self as you would like it to be” and the image actually achieved with the clothing. The second category of responses was labeled “the woman I fear I could be”. This category of responses reflected experiences where clothing had failed to achieve a desired look or resulted in a negative self-presentation. Concern here was choosing to wear clothing with unintentional effects such as highlighting parts of the body that were unflattering or concern about losing the ability to know how to dress to convey a positive image. The last category, “the woman I am most of the time” contained comments indicating the women had a “relationship with clothes was ongoing and dynamic and that a major source of enjoyment for them was to use clothes to realize different aspects of themselves” (p. 321).

Interested in how the self shaped clothing consumption and use, Ogle et al. ( 2013 ) utilized Guy and Banim’s ( 2000 ) views of self to explore how consumption of maternity dress might shape the self during a liminal life stage (i.e., pregnancy). Interviews with women expecting their first child revealed concerns that available maternity dress limited their ability to express their true selves. Some expressed concern that the maternity clothing that was available to them in the marketplace symbolized someone that they did not want to associate with (i.e., the woman I fear I could be). Several women noted they borrowed or purchased used clothing from a variety of sources for this time in their life. This decision resulted in dissatisfaction because the items were not reflective of their selves and if worn resulted in their projecting a self that they also did not want to be. In addition, the women shared that they used dress to confirm their selves as pregnant and as NOT overweight. While some of the participants did experience a disrupted sense of self during pregnancy, others shared that they were able to locate items of dress that symbolized a self-consistent with “the woman I am most of the time”.

Continuing in this line of research, researchers may want to explore these three aspects of self with others who struggle with self-presentation via dress as a result of a lack of fashionable and trendy clothing in the marketplace. Plus-sized women frequently report that they are ignored by the fashion industry and existing offerings fail to meet their need to be fashionable. A recent article in the Huffington Post (“Plus-sized clothing”, 2013 ) noted that retailers do not typically carry plus sizes perhaps due to the misconception that plus-sized women are not trendy shoppers or the idea that these sizes will not sell well. Thus, it may well be that the relationship between dress and self for plus-sized women is frustrating as they are prevented from being able to make clothing choices indicative of their selves “as they would like them to be”.

Priming and self-perception

While several researchers have confirmed that clothing worn impacts thoughts about the self, Hannover and Kühnen ( 2002 ) were interested in uncovering processes that would explain why clothing could have this effect. They began with examining what role priming might have in explaining how clothing impacts self-perceptions. Using findings from social cognition, they argued that clothing styles might prime specific mental categories about one’s self such that those categories that are most easily accessed in a given situation would be more likely to be applied to oneself than categories of information that are difficult to access. Thus, if clothing can be used to prime specific self-knowledge it should impact self-descriptions such that, a person wearing “casual” clothing (e.g., jeans, sweatshirt) should be more apt to describe him or herself using casual terms (e.g., laid-back, uses slang). The researchers had each participant stand in front of a mirror and indicate whether or not specific traits were descriptive of him or herself when wearing either casual or formal clothing (e.g., business attire). The researchers found that when a participant wore casual clothing he or she rated the casual traits as more valid self-descriptions than the formal traits. The reverse was also true. They concluded that the clothing worn primed specific categories of self-knowledge. However, the researchers did not ask participants to what extent they intentionally considered their own clothing when determining whether or not a trait should be applied to them. Yet, as previously noted, Adam and Galinsky ( 2012 ) demonstrated that clothing impacted a specific behavior (attention) only in circumstances where the clothing was worn and the clothing’s meaning was clear. Thus, researchers could test if clothing serves as an unrecognized priming source and if its impact on impression formation is less intentional than typically assumed.

Dress and self in interaction with others

Another area of research within dress and the self involves experience with others and the establishment of meaning. Questions that these researchers are interested in answering include what is the meaning of an item of dress or a way of appearing? Early researchers working in this area have utilized symbolic interactionism as a framework for their research (Blumer 1969 ; Mead 1934 ; Stone 1962 ). The foundational question of symbolic interaction is: “What common set of symbols and understandings has emerged to give meaning to people’s interactions?” (Patton 2002 , p. 112).

There are three basic premises central to symbolic interactionism (Blumer 1969 ). The first premise is that our behavior toward things (e.g., physical objects, other people) is shaped by the meaning that those things have for us. Applied to dress and appearance, this premise means that our behavior relative to another person is influenced by that person’s dress (Kaiser 1997 ) and the meaning that we assign to that dress. The second premise of symbolic interaction is that the meaning of things is derived from social interaction with others (Blumer). This premise indicates that meanings are not inherent in objects, must be shared between individuals, and that meanings are learned. The third premise is that meanings are modified by a continuous interpretative process in which the actor interacts with himself (Blumer). As applied to clothing, this premise suggests that the wearer of an outfit or item of clothing is active in determining the meaning of an item along with the viewer of that item.

Symbolic interactionism posits that the self is a social construction established, maintained, and altered through interpersonal communication with others. While initial work focused on investigating verbal communication as key to the construction of the self, Stone extended communication to include appearance and maintained that “appearance is at least as important in establishment and maintenance of the self” as verbal communication (1962, p. 87).

Stone ( 1962 ) discussed a process of establishing the self in interaction with others. This process included selecting items of dress to communicate a desired aspect of self (i.e., identity) as well as to convey that desired aspect to others. One stage in this process is an individual’s review of his/her own appearance. This evaluation and response to one’s own appearance is called program. One might experience a program by looking in the mirror to assess whether the intended identity expressed through dress is the one that is actually achieved. After this evaluation of one’s appearance, the next stage involves others reacting to an individual’s appearance. This is called a review. Stone contends that when “programs and reviews coincide, the self of the one who appears is validated or established” (p. 92). However, when programs and reviews do not coincide, the announced identity is challenged and “conduct may be expected to move in the direction of some redefinition of the challenged self” (p. 92).

Researchers using this approach in their investigations of dress have used Stone’s ( 1962 ) ideas and applied the concept of review to the experiences of sorority women. Hunt and Miller ( 1997 ) interviewed sorority members about their experiences with using dress to communicate their membership and how members, via their reviews, shaped their sorority appearances. Members reported using several techniques in the review of the appearance of other members as well as in response to their own appearance (i.e., programs). Thus, the researcher’s results supported Stone’s ideas concerning establishment of an identity (as an aspect of self) as a process of program and review.

In an investigation of the meaning of dress, in this instance the meaning of a specific body modification—a tattoo, Mun et al. ( 2012 ) interviewed women of various ages who had tattoos to assess meanings, changes in self-perceptions as a result of the tattoo, and any changes in the women’s behavior as an outcome of being tattooed. To guide their inquiry, the researchers used Goffman’s ( 1959 ) discussion of the concept of self-presentation from his seminal work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life . According to Goffman, on a regular basis people make inferences about the motivations that underlie other people’s behaviors. To make these inferences they use everyday details. Because most people make these inferences, Goffman believed that individuals could purposely control the content of those inferences by controlling their behavior. Included in this behavior was an individual’s dress. These researchers found support for Goffman’s reasoning. Participants shared that their tattoo(s) had meaning and were expressive of their selves, their personal values and interests, important life events (e.g., marriage), and religious/sacred beliefs. The meaning of a tattoo was also dynamic for several participants rather than static. Participants’ self-perceptions were impacted as a result of being tattooed with several participants sharing increases to their confidence and to their perceived empowerment. Individuals who shared a change in behavior primarily noted that they controlled the visibility of their tattoos to others as a method to control how others might respond to them having a tattoo especially within the workplace.

Since an array of body modifications (e.g., piercings, gauging, scarification) are being adopted cross-culturally, investigations of people’s experiences with any of these modifications is fertile area for future researchers interested in the meaning(s) of dress and how dress impacts the self through interaction with others. Researchers may want to investigate men’s experiences with piercing/gauging as well as women’s experiences with body building and other developing forms of body modification. Extreme forms of body piercings (e.g., piercings that simulate corset lacings) and underlying motivations for these body modifications would add to our understanding of relationships between dress and self. The meanings of facial hair to men or body hair removal (partial, total) for both men and women are additional aspects of dress that could be investigated.

Dress and self as influence on consumption

In the aforementioned research by Ogle et al. ( 2013 ), the researchers found that a primary reason their participants were disappointed by the maternity clothing offered through the marketplace was due to a lack of fit between their selves and the clothing styles made available. Thus, it is clear that ideas about the self impact clothing selection and purchase. Sirgy ( 1982 ) proposed self-image product-image congruity theory to describe the process of how people applied ideas concerning the self to their purchasing. The basic assumption of the theory is that through marketing and branding, products gain associated images. The premise of the theory is that products people are motivated to purchase are products with images that are congruent with or symbolic of how they see themselves (i.e., actual self-image) or with how they would like to be (i.e., ideal self-image). They also will avoid those products that symbolize images that are inconsistent with either of these self-images.

Rhee and Johnson ( 2012 ) found support for the self-image product-image congruity relationship with male and female adolescents. These researchers investigated the adolescents’ purchase and use of clothing brands. Participants indicated their favorite apparel brand was most similar to their actual self (i.e., this brand reflects who I am), followed by their social self (i.e., this brand reflects who I want others to think I am), and their desired self (i.e., this brand reflects who I want to be).

Earlier, Banister and Hogg ( 2004 ) conducted research investigating the idea that consumers will actively reject or avoid products with negative symbolic meanings. The researchers conducted group interviews with adult consumers. Their participants acknowledged that clothing items could symbolize more than one meaning depending on who was interpreting the meaning. They also acknowledged that the consumers they interviewed appeared to be more concerned with avoiding consumption of products with negative symbolic images than with consuming products with the goal of achieving a positive image. One participant noted that while attempts to achieve a positive image via clothing consumption may be sub-conscious, the desire to avoid a negative image when shopping was conscious.

Closing remarks

It is clear from our review that interest in the topic of the social psychology of dress is on-going and provides a fruitful area of research that addresses both basic and applied research questions. Although we provided an overview of several key research areas within the topic of the social psychology of dress we were unable to include all of the interesting topics being investigated. There are other important areas of research including relationships between dress and specific social and cultural identities, answering questions about how dress functions within social groups, how we learn to attach meanings to dress, and changing attitudes concerning dress among others. Regardless, we hope that this review inspires both colleagues and students to continue to investigate and document the important influence dress exerts in everyday life.

a These researchers used role theory to frame their investigation.

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Johnson, K., Lennon, S.J. & Rudd, N. Dress, body and self: research in the social psychology of dress. Fashion and Textiles 1 , 20 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-014-0020-7

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173 Creative Fashion Research Topics: Awesome List Of Ideas

The 21st century has amplified fashion such that even a newborn knows about it. However, the challenge of finding unique fashion topics always baffles both college and university students. That is why some of them end up copying whatever they find online or guess whatever comes to mind.  

Do you want to save yourself all this unnecessary drama? Keep reading this exceptional guide.

Fashion Industry: Definition

Now, fashion refers to a form of expression at a given time, place, and culture. You may have heard of the latest smartphones, clothing, or even cars – well, that is part of fashion. It is not only limited to clothes and fine jewelry in the boutiques.

For something to be fashionable, it has to do with either new or dominant clothes, hairstyles, accessories, make-up, footwear, or lifestyle. A lot comes into play when it comes to fashion, and as such, it is always subject to change every time. Now that we have jogged your memory on the definition of fashion, let’s get into how to prepare and write a fashion-related thesis paper or art dissertation .

Getting Started With Your Fashion Research Paper

Before you engage in any undertaking, there is the planning process. That is what we want to cover in this section with regards to acing your fashion paper. Now, I know that thousands of websites guide me in writing a top-level research paper on fashion. However, ours is unique – we provide professional tips from our reliable writing service that you will never find anywhere else.

Stay with me as we start journeying through this together:

First, understand your research question on fashion: This is a critical step that will shape how you will answer the question. Break down the question into bits that will help you understand what your professor wanted from you. Second, dive into the research process: I know most lazy students would not want to hear about this step at all. However, it is also crucial in helping you determine the topic and content that will go into your fashion research paper. Select an appropriate topic: After looking at what others have done and identifying the gaps, pick a topic that best communicates your idea. Remember that the subject should be concise, catchy, and appealing to anyone at first sight. Proceed to write an engaging thesis statement about fashion: This is what drives the direction of your essay, and as such, it should be in-depth. A thesis statement on style should capture what you intend to talk about and set the objective for your paper. Draft informative topic sentences for your body paragraphs: Every topic sentence should marry with your thesis statement. A person reading your topic sentences should relate them to the question you posed in the thesis statement. The right topic sentences will give life to your dissertation on fashion in a fantastic way! Looking for supporting evidence: You should be able to back up your topic sentences with trustworthy examples and illustrations. These can either be statistics or case studies, depending on the fashion topic that you are handling. Find an exciting concluding remark: Never underestimate the power of the conclusion paragraph in any form of writing. It determines what the reader will take home after going through the long and tedious body paragraphs. Therefore, it should be as captivating as possible.

After tackling the preparation and writing part, I know you may be asking, ‘where can I find writing ideas for fashion research papers?’ Well, the answer is one scroll away, my friend:

• Fashion magazines and books
• News stories on fashion events
• TV documentaries
• Online fashion stores and blogs
• This fantastic article (Did you think that I would leave it out?)

You are as ready as a horse prepared for the battle to crush any fashion assignment with all these. But for now, here are 173 of the most impressive fashion ideas for your inspiration.

Engaging Fashion Research Topics

• What your fashion taste says about you and the psychological impact of fashion
• How have women’s movements impacted today’s fashion?
• What is the correlation between fashion and 20th-century women empowerment?
• The brighter side of invisible branding in fashion
• Tools used in fashion marketing
• Understanding fashion cycles: From trendy to obsolescence
• The impact of fashion in movies on the youth
• The role of garments in prehistoric ages
• The evolution of style from the 20th century
• The role of class in promoting a culture
• What influence does the military have on culture?
• Understanding the fashion industry: A Multi-billion dollar industry
• Fashion trends that were influenced by 1980s music.
• The role of dressing in subculture identification
• Fashion dressing in the golden age of Queen Elizabeth Era: What it meant ad how it defined social status.
• Evaluate why women pay a close look at what they wear than men

In-Depth Fashion Topics For Students

• What is the net profit and benefit of the fashion industry?
• Fashion ideas that originated from the 80s and are still used in the modern society
• The role of fashion in pushing for social agendas
• Legalizing of Bhang: Is it just fashionable or a necessity?
• Evaluate Retro fashion trends in the 21st century
• Investigating the ethics of suing flesh and fur in high fashion
• The science behind fashion trends
• The Psychology of cross-dressing: What is fueling the massive cross-dressing in today’s society
• Luxurious and Royal Fashion trends during the Cold War
• Discuss how the media impacts what people wear
• What is the relationship between art and high-end fashion
• How is the LGBTQ community impacting the fashion industry today?
• Icon case study: How music has influenced the successful running of Fenny Beauty
• How significant is a celebrities influence on fashion trends: A case study of Beyoncé
• Luxurious fashion companies and their impact on the general fashion trends
• Investigating the influx of designer products in the fashion market: Have they come affordable, or is there a leak in the market?

Best Quality Fashion Topics To Discuss

• The impact of fake luxurious products on the high-end fashion industry
• Investigating working from home the new fashion lifestyle: What is the cost-benefit analysis of working from home
• Examining The recent boom in the wig fashion industry
• How big is the trending make-up industry ad what is its impact on the economy
• How Celebrity events push fashion trends
• How fashion translates the empowerment of the modern woman: A case study of Serena William
• How masks evolved from protective gears to fashion statements and the danger in the prevailing Covid’19 pandemic
• How fashion influences the psychology of its consumers
• The role of style in music in influencing teen fashion taste: A case study of Taylor
• Investigating the relationship between fashion and royalty during the Queen Elizabeth era.
• Analysis of the development and growth of fashion: A case study of Australia
• How Britney Spears pioneered the low rise jean fashion trend
• Investigating the hair industry: Who are the leading suppliers of hair in the globe, and who are its consumers
• How fashion can alter your look: How to look slimmer or curvier using fashion hacks.
• Source of leather for your fashionable belt, shoes, and wallet
• A study of the entry of trendy beard products into the hair industry

Excellent Fashion Topics To Write About Today

• An analysis of sustainable and ethical fashion brands
• The role of innovation and creativity in the running of the fashion industry
• A complete guide for buying fashionable high-end textile materials
• Understanding the concept of enclothed cognition: The impact your clothing choice has on your mental process
• Smart Casual: The latest trendy office fashion
• What is the role of fashion accessories in our dressing?
• The fashion statement of a handbag in every woman’s life
• Ten niches in a fashion that do not exist but should exist
• A review of the book Queen of Fashion by Marie Antoinette: How has it influenced style as we know it today?
• Investigating the impact of fashion trends in the running of a business
• compare and contrast between the European and African fashion
• Understanding denim as a fashion trend
• How big is the Vlog mass industry, and what is its role in pushing fashion trends
• How do age and gender affect what people wear?
• Why you should consider the prevailing fashion trends before starting a business
• Is Vlog a fashionable wave, or is it here to stay?
• The role of Tik-Tok in creating fashion trends and propagating them
• Understanding the Androgynous model: A case study of Willy Carter

Good Research Paper Topics-Fashion

• How the online industry has changed fashion
• Discuss the effects of various professions on what people wear
• How successful was the rebranding of Abercrombie and Fintech in 2019
• A study of the balance between style and functionality
• How do Fashion High-Tea events influence people’s wardrobes?
• Strategies to market luxurious fashion brands
• How luxury fashion is branded and its importance
• Discuss the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on fashion
• The role of style in celebrity branding
• The rise of fashion in developing countries
• The impact of trends on the psychology of the consumer
• Analyzing the relationship between fashion and pop culture
• The role of Jane Austen boos in defining fashion in the golden age
• Style in the time of Jane Austen
• How fashion affects the 21st-century movies and films
• Understanding luxurious fashion advertisement
• What are the challenges of the fashion industry?
• How necessary is liquidity in the fashion industry

Quick Fashion Research Paper Topics

• The role of photography in the marketing of fashion brands in today’s world
• Marketing strategies of the fashion industry in the 80s
• The role of digital print in today’s fashion marketing
• The part of the color in fashionable dressing
• Understanding fashion and feminist movements
• Understanding fashion and Masculinity
• How aesthetic is essential in fashion
• Investigating colorism in fashion
• The role of style in public relations
• Investigating the role of class in politics
• Did type exist in medieval times?
• The importance of Red Carpet events in the fashion industry
• Discuss the role of religion in what people wear
• Factors that influence change in fashion trends
• Global premium fashion brands and how they rose to the top
• How fashion in the western world influences the rest of the globe
• The relationship between style and symbolism
• Investigating sexism in fashion advertisement campaigns

Best Fashion Prompts In 2023

• The contribution of fashion to economic growth.
• How racism is prevalent in fashion advertising
• Traditional textile fashion designs and their reemergence in the 21st century
• A study on the earliest American fashion
• Effects of fashion on people’s self-esteem and self-worth
• Understanding how fashion styles trend
• The role of crossover fashion in comedy
• Is crossover fashion the next big thing?
• The mechanism of the fashion industry: How it works
• Characterizing modern fashion dressing
• The relationship between cancel culture and fashion
• The role of culture in shaping social trends
• Discuss the rising culture of fashion among the youth
• Why it is essential to consider the style for a wedding ceremony
• How the fashion industry has created employment
• How different seasons of the year determine what people wear
• The impact of covid-19 on our current lifestyle

Custom Fashion Discussion Topics

• Did the pandemic have any impact on fashion trends?
• Investigating the relationship between fashion, identity, and culture
• What is the relationship between fashion and religion?
• A list of celebrities considered fashion icons ad their contribution to fashion trends.
• The relationship between plastic surgery and pushing fashion brand
• Investigating the influence of fashion trends on the mental health of a community
• The innovation of Nylon in the fashion industry
• Investigating the decline of some fashionable attires. A case study of the tie
• The concept of In cooperating fashion designs in school uniforms for expensive schools
• Trade fairs in the fashion business
• The role of women in the fashion industry
• Challenges to expect as an entrepreneur in the fashion industry
• Contrasting the use of men vs. women in marketing fashion designs
• A guide on building a successful fashion business
• The evolution of minimalism in fashion dressing
• The necessary skills to learn before starting your fashion business
• Top trendy fashion style by entrepreneurs
• Relationship between liberalism and fashion
• Understanding the influence of feminism on fashion

Top Fashion Marketing Writing Ideas

• How are online stores promoting fashion in developed nations?
• Emergent fashion trends following the pandemic
• Impact of climate on fashion trends
• Fashion trends for people with disabilities
• A study of the baby clothing fashion industry
• Understanding organic VS synthetic fashion trends in the market
• Analyzing the direction of adults looking like children
• A study in the origin of the motif
• A study on the falling popularity of office wear in the workplace
• How working at home has impacted the workplace office industry.
• Understanding the decline in popularity of leather accessories
• Investigating the sustainability of some fashion trends
• Investigating the impact of fashion on the environment and its resources
• The origin and evolution of beachwear
• The understanding manner in the textile industry.
• Where did waistcoats originate from in the US?
• Checked Vs. plain fashion dressing
• The trendy use of unconventional material for dressing: A case study of lady gaga

Top Class Fashion Design Topics

• Who is the teenage fashion Icon?
• How Audrey Hepburn revolutionized the fashion industry
• Understanding the timeliness of fashion gowns from the 80s
• How Laurel Bacall pushed the trend of silk blouses, pencil skirts, blazers, and pleated trousers
• Understanding Tuxedo since the 60s
• The popularity of chunky heels between 2019- 2021
• Understanding the preference between sneakers and high heels
• The role of fashion writers in pushing for fashion trends
• The contribution of celebration to the fashion industry in the USA
• Impact of ethnicity on fashion trends
• Relationship between poverty and fashion
• A comparative analysis of fashion trends in royal families across the globe
• The influence of royal families on fashion trends
• Costume culture a case study of Madonna
• How ball gowns have evolved
• Does the fashion industry have a bright future with the proliferation of the internet?
• Investigating the social-cultural history of fashion to understand how it has evolved

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Fashion Research Paper Topics: History, Consumer Behavior and Industry Trends

Table of contents

• 1 How to Choose a Research Paper Topic On Fashion
• 2.1 Fast Fashion Research Questions
• 2.2 Sustainable Fashion Topics To Write About
• 2.3 Ethical Fashion Essay Topics
• 2.4 Topics about Fashion Designers
• 2.5 Fashion Brands 
• 2.6 Business of Fashion
• 2.7 History of Fashion Topics to Research

Fashion is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, blending creativity, culture, and commerce uniquely and captivating. It is an expression of personal style and a mirror reflecting societal changes, technological advancements, and varying aesthetic preferences across different eras and regions. Delving into fashion research opens a world of exploration, from the dazzling allure of high fashion and iconic designers to the critical issues of sustainability and ethical production practices.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive list of fashion research topics, encompassing this complex industry’s diverse and vibrant aspects. It also covers a wide range of subjects, from the impact of cultural shifts on fashion trends to the evolving landscape of fashion marketing and retail. These topics offer a rich terrain for in-depth study and analysis.

How to Choose a Research Paper Topic On Fashion

Choosing the right research topics about fashion is a critical step that sets the tone for your entire study. It’s a delicate balance of aligning personal interest with academic value.

• Start by pinpointing your area of passion within the broad spectrum of fashion. It could be anything from the intricacies of design and the rich tapestry of fashion history, to the pressing issues of ethics and the evolving dynamics of the fashion business of fashion articles.
• Next, immerse yourself in current trends and pressing issues within the fashion world to carve out a unique and relevant angle for your research.
• Availability of resources and existing literature is paramount. Ensure sufficient material and data are available to underpin your study with credible information.
• Selecting a topic for a fast fashion argumentative essay that resonates with current discussions and contributes a fresh perspective or addresses market research in fashion is advantageous.
• Striking the right balance between specificity and breadth is key; your topic should be focused enough to provide clear direction for your study, yet broad enough to encompass comprehensive exploration and analysis.

This approach guarantees a more manageable research process and enhances the potential for meaningful and engaging contributions to the field of fashion studies.

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List of Research Topics On Fashion

Dive into the fascinating world of fashion with these compelling research topics. Covering everything from the glitz of designer brands to the pressing issues of sustainability, each topic offers a unique perspective on the multifaceted fashion industry.

Fast Fashion Research Questions

• Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion. Investigating the ecological footprint of rapid production cycles in the fashion industry.
• Consumer Perception and Fast Fashion. Understanding how consumer attitudes towards sustainability affect fast fashion.
• Economic Viability of Fast Fashion Models. Analyzing the long-term economic sustainability of the fast fashion business model.
• Social Implications of Fast Fashion. Examining the social consequences, including labor practices, of fast fashion.
• Innovative Solutions to Fast Fashion Problems. Exploring new technologies and business models to mitigate fast fashion issues.
• Globalization and Fast Fashion. Assessing the impact of globalization on the spread and practices of fast fashion.
• Fast Fashion and Waste Management. Investigating waste generation and management in the fast fashion cycle.
• Consumer Behavior in Fast Fashion. Analyzing how consumer buying patterns contribute to fast fashion.
• Marketing Strategies in Fast Fashion. Understanding the role of marketing in promoting fast fashion trends.
• Ethical Challenges in Fast Fashion. Examining the ethical dilemmas posed by fast fashion.
• Fast Fashion and Cultural Appropriation. Investigating instances and impacts of cultural appropriation in fast fashion.
• The Role of Media in Fast Fashion. Exploring how the media influences the fast fashion industry and consumer choices.
• Fast Fashion and Its Impact on Traditional Retail. Analyzing how fast fashion is affecting traditional retail models.
• Sustainability Initiatives in Fast Fashion. Examining efforts by fast fashion brands to become more sustainable.
• Future Trends in Fast Fashion. Predicting future developments and changes in the fast fashion industry.

Sustainable Fashion Topics To Write About

• Sustainable Materials in Fashion. Exploring eco-friendly materials used in sustainable fashion.
• The Lifecycle of Sustainable Fashion Products. Understanding the production, use, and disposal of sustainable fashion items.
• Consumer Awareness of Sustainable Fashion. Assessing how consumer knowledge impacts sustainable fashion choices.
• Challenges to Sustainable Fashion Manufacturing. Investigating barriers to adopting sustainable practices in fashion production.
• Innovations in Sustainable Fashion Technology. Examining technological advancements in creating sustainable fashion.
• Sustainable Fashion and Global Supply Chains. Analyzing the role of global supply chains sustainably.
• Marketing of Sustainable Fashion Brands. Strategies for marketing sustainable fashion to a wider audience.
• Economic Aspects of Sustainable Fashion. Understanding the economic implications and viability of sustainable fashion.
• Policy and Regulation in Sustainable Fashion. Examining the role of policy in promoting sustainable fashion practices.
• Social Responsibility in Sustainable Fashion. Exploring the social impact of sustainable fashion on communities and workers.
• Sustainable Fashion and Consumer Behavior. Investigating how sustainable fashion influences consumer buying habits.
• The Role of Designers in Sustainable Fashion. Examining how designers can drive sustainability in fashion.
• Upcycling and Recycling in Fashion. Exploring the role of upcycling and recycling in sustainable fashion.
• Sustainable Fashion and Cultural Shifts. Assessing how cultural changes are affecting sustainable fashion trends.
• Case Studies of Successful Sustainable Fashion Brands. Analyzing successful examples of sustainable fashion brands.

Ethical Fashion Essay Topics

• Defining Ethical Fashion Topics. Understanding what constitutes ethical practices in the fashion industry.
• Transparency in Fashion Supply Chains. Examining the importance of transparency for ethical fashion.
• Consumer Role in Promoting Ethical Fashion. Exploring how consumers can influence ethical practices in fashion.
• Ethical Fashion and Labor Rights. Investigating the intersection of fashion production and labor rights.
• The Impact of Ethical Fashion on the Environment. Assessing the environmental benefits of ethical fashion practices.
• Challenges in Implementing Ethical Fashion. Understanding the obstacles to adopting ethical practices in fashion.
• Ethical Fashion and Cultural Sensitivity. Examining the importance of cultural sensitivity in an ethical fashion.
• The Business Case for Ethical Fashion. Analyzing the economic benefits of adopting ethical practices in fashion.
• Ethical Fashion and Consumer Trust. Investigating how ethical practices influence consumer trust in brands.
• Innovations in Ethical Fashion. Exploring new developments and practices in an ethical fashion.
• Ethical Fashion and Globalization. Assessing the impact of globalization on ethical fashion practices.
• Marketing Strategies for Ethical Fashion. Understanding how to market ethical fashion effectively.
• The Role of Governments in Ethical Fashion. Examining the role of policy and regulation in promoting ethical fashion.
• Ethical Fashion and Social Media Influence. Exploring the impact of social media on ethical fashion trends.
• Case Studies of Ethical Fashion Initiatives. Analyzing successful examples of ethical fashion initiatives.

Topics about Fashion Designers

• Influence of Iconic Fashion Designers. Exploring how legendary designers have shaped fashion trends.
• Biographies of Renowned Fashion Designers. Investigating the life stories and career paths of famous designers.
• Emerging Fashion Designers and Industry Impact. Examining the influence of emerging designers on the fashion industry.
• Fashion Designers and Brand Identity. Analyzing how designers shape and define brand identities.
• Collaborations between Fashion Designers and Brands. Exploring successful collaborations and their outcomes.
• Fashion Designers and Cultural Influences. Investigating how cultural backgrounds influence designers’ work.
• Sustainability Focus of Fashion Designers. Examining designers’ approaches to sustainable fashion.
• Fashion Designers and Technology Integration. Analyzing how designers are incorporating technology into fashion.
• Fashion Designers and Political Statements. Exploring how designers use fashion to make political statements.
• Innovations by Fashion Designers. Investigating groundbreaking innovations introduced by fashion designers.
• Fashion Designers and Celebrity Influence. Assessing the impact of celebrity endorsements on designers’ work.
• Design Philosophy and Techniques of Fashion Designers. Examining the unique design philosophies and techniques of designers.
• Fashion Designers and Global Trends. Analyzing how designers respond to and shape global fashion trends.
• Fashion Designers and Ethical Practices. Investigating how designers are incorporating ethical practices into their work.
• Fashion Designers’ Role in Fashion Education. Exploring the involvement of designers in fashion education and mentorship.

Fashion Brands 

• History and Evolution of Major Fashion Brands. Tracing the development and growth of leading fashion brands.
• Branding Strategies in Fashion. Analyzing effective branding strategies used by fashion companies.
• Consumer Perception of Fashion Brands. Understanding how consumers view and interact with different fashion brands.
• Luxury Fashion Brands and Market Positioning. Investigating the strategies of luxury brands in the fashion market.
• Sustainability Initiatives of Fashion Brands. Examining how brands are incorporating sustainability into their operations.
• Fashion Brands and Global Expansion. Analyzing how brands are expanding and adapting to global markets.
• Collaborations between Fashion Brands and Designers. Exploring the impact of collaborative projects.
• Fashion Brands and Technology Integration. Investigating how brands are utilizing technology in fashion design and retail.
• Marketing and Advertising Strategies of Fashion Brands. Analyzing the marketing approaches of successful fashion brands.
• Fashion Brands and Consumer Engagement. Understanding how brands engage with their customers.
• Fashion Brands and Social Responsibility. Examining the social and ethical responsibilities of fashion brands.
• Innovations in Fashion Branding. Exploring innovative branding techniques in the fashion industry.
• Fashion Brands and Cultural Impact. Assessing the cultural influence of prominent fashion brands.
• Challenges Facing Fashion Brands Today. Investigating current challenges and how brands are addressing them.
• Case Studies of Successful Fashion Brand Revivals. Analyzing how struggling brands successfully reinvented themselves.

Business of Fashion

• Globalization and Its Impact on Fashion Business. Examining how globalization has transformed the fashion industry.
• Fashion Retailing Strategies. Analyzing effective retailing strategies in the fashion industry.
• Fashion E-Commerce Trends and Challenges. Investigating the rise of online fashion retailing and associated challenges.
• Business Models in the Fashion Industry . Exploring different business models and their effectiveness in fashion.
• Marketing and Promotion in Fashion. Analyzing marketing techniques and promotional strategies in fashion.
• Fashion Industry Supply Chain Management. Examining supply chain dynamics in the fashion industry.
• Fashion Brand Management and Development. Investigating strategies for managing and developing fashion brands.
• Consumer Behavior Analysis in Fashion. Understanding consumer purchasing patterns and preferences in fashion.
• Fashion Business and Sustainability. Analyzing the integration of sustainable practices in fashion business operations.
• Innovations in Fashion Business Models. Exploring innovative approaches to fashion business and retail.
• Fashion Industry Economic Analysis. Examining the economic aspects and impacts of the fashion industry.
• Fashion Business and Global Market Trends. Assessing global market trends and their influence on fashion businesses.
• Fashion Startups and Entrepreneurship. Investigating the rise and challenges of fashion startups.
• Fashion Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Examining ethical considerations and social responsibilities in the fashion business.
• Case Studies of Successful Fashion Business Strategies. Analyzing successful strategies implemented by fashion businesses.

History of Fashion Topics to Research

• The Evolution of Fashion from Ancient Civilizations. Exploring fashion trends and their significance in ancient societies like Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
• Medieval Fashion and Social Hierarchies. Analyzing how fashion in the medieval era reflected societal structures and class distinctions.
• Renaissance Fashion and Artistic Influence. Investigating the influence of Renaissance art and culture on fashion trends of the era.
• 17th Century Baroque Fashion. Examining the opulence and extravagance of Baroque fashion and its reflection on the socio-political climate.
• 18th Century Rococo Style and Femininity. Discussing the Rococo style’s emphasis on ornamentation and its impact on the perception of femininity.
• Fashion During the Industrial Revolution. Understanding how technological advancements in the 19th century transformed the fashion industry.
• The Birth of Haute Couture in the 19th Century. Tracing the origins of haute couture and its founding designers like Charles Frederick Worth.
• Fashion in the Victorian Era. Exploring the fashion trends and social norms that characterized the Victorian period.
• The Roaring Twenties and Flapper Fashion. Delving into the revolutionary changes in women’s fashion during the 1920s.
• Fashion During World War II. Investigating how wartime restrictions influenced fashion, introducing utility clothing and fabric rationing.
• The Post-War Fashion Boom and the New Look. Analyzing the impact of Dior’s New Look in shaping post-WWII fashion.
• Swinging Sixties and Youth Culture. Examining how 1960s fashion was influenced by and influenced youth culture and social movements.
• Punk Fashion and Subculture in the 1970s. Exploring the emergence of punk fashion and its challenge to mainstream norms.
• The Influence of Pop and Celebrity Culture on 1980s Fashion. Discuss how pop culture icons and music influenced 1980s fashion trends.
• Fashion in the Digital Age. Understanding how the advent of the internet and digital media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has transformed fashion consumption and trends.

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Xiaoqing Wang

August 29th, 2019, book review: the psychology of fashion by carolyn mair.

2 comments | 20 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

In The Psychology of Fashion , Carolyn Mair brings a psychological approach to understanding current significant issues within fashion studies, including the role of fashion imagery and the rise of sustainable fashion. Showing that fashion is not only inseparable from the body but also highly associated with our mind and behaviour, this book offers a vision of fashion through the lens of most recent psychological theories, writes  Xiaoqing Wang .

The Psychology of Fashion . Carolyn Mair. Routledge. 2018.

You may not be into fashion, but you cannot escape fashion consumption. Fashion is an important way that we present ourselves to the world in our everyday life ( Erving Goffman, 1956 ). As consumer culture conquers the world, fashion is not a peripheral, frivolous matter; rather, it holds more individual meanings in contemporary society. Accordingly, fashion studies is no longer a marginal research area as it was portrayed decades ago ( Elizabeth Wilson, 1985 ). Feminists, cultural theorists, sociologists and scholars with interdisciplinary backgrounds have initiated multidimensional explorations in their research into fashion. Mair’s psychological approach in The Psychology of Fashion , however, not only brings in a new vision for understanding current significant issues, but also opens up discussions within these underexplored areas.

Fashion, with its own logic of novelty and change, is stubborn to adapt to contemporary social transformations. On the contrary, it acquires increasing ideological power to dominate our ways of dressing, looking and living in the global village ( Gilles Lipovetsky, 1987 ). Sociologists have theorised fashion as a pursuit of class distinction or a sort of ‘conspicuous consumption’ ( Georg Simmel 1904 ; Pierre Bourdieu 1984 ; Thorstein Veblen, 1899 ). However, Mair argues that ‘fashion became more accessible across socio-economic strata’ in the twentieth century (80). She also points out that people dress to fulfil more diverse purposes than ‘looking prosperous’ (93). In Chapter Four, Mair adopts theories of the self and social identity to explore the psychological functions of fashion, including ‘self-enhancement’, ‘self-categorisation’, ‘self-expression’ and the construction of social identity. Her analysis echoes sociological research on subculture styles as a way to negotiate social group membership as well as to express individual uniqueness ( Dick Hebdige, 1979 ).

The meanings of fashion are therefore of keen interest for cultural theorists. Semiologists regard fashion as a sign system and endeavour to disclose the hidden meanings of fashion discourses and fashion symbols ( Roland Barthes, 1967 ). Cultural sociologists attempt to interpret the cultural values and social identities associated with a style. However, these approaches have been criticised for subjective readings of meaning or for neglecting the multiple possibilities of interpretation by different individuals. Mair’s psychological approach sheds more light on individual differences in terms of interpreting fashion. She argues that how a person perceives a style is a result of many personal factors, from preference and personality to emotion and mood (94).

The (mis)representation of fashion imagery and the sustainability of the fashion industry are two keen concerns in current fashion studies that are discussed within The Psychology of Fashion . Feminists have often criticised the unreal ideals represented in the fashion media as not only having damaging social impacts, such as contributing to eating disorders among the young ( Naomi Wolf, 2002 ), but also sexually objectifying women and reinforcing gender inequality ( Rosalind Gill, 2007 ). Mair provides diverse supporting empirical research data in Chapter Three to show how unrealistic fashion discourses of the body and beauty reinforce structures of inequality in our society, including those not only related to gender and appearance, but also age, ethnicity and economic status. Meanwhile, she employs psychological theories such as self-perception (58) and self-objectification (51) to explore the underlying psychological reasons behind the social phenomenon. Her particular emphasis on the adverse influence of the ideal body image on young children (35) is a fresh alert for the consequences of fashion (mis)representation.

The book also discusses some additional psychological problems associated with the fashion industry, involving both fashion producers and fashion consumers. Although some health problems such as the eating disorders experienced by fashion models have been noticed by both the public and academia, there is little attention paid to the mental health of fashion workers. Mair explores this issue by introducing studies on the correlation between creativity and mental health problems (25). She claims that fashion designers and models work in a challenging and stressful environment and suffer from a high risk of poor mental health due to the creativity and continuous reinvention demanded by the fashion industry (27). Mair identifies the need to improve the psychological health of fashion professionals but admits it is a challenging problem to solve.

Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is a mental health condition experienced by some fashion consumers. Many criticise the economic waste and environmental damage caused by overconsumption, but Mair’s psychological perspective exposes a less noticed aspect of the issue: CBD as a shopping and spending addiction arising in consumer society. Compulsive shoppers typically experience ‘feelings of tension or anxiety before the purchase, and a sense of relief following the purchase’ (81). Those with CBD can obtain a sense of control but also often suffer from guilt. Like other impulse control disorders, CBD can lead to further stress, anxiety and depression (82). Given the large number of compulsive shoppers, CBD is not a trivial social problem and deserves more social intervention. The book recommends treatments such as attending therapy or support groups.

Sustainable fashion has been advocated by both environmentalists and sociologists. The movement aims to counter the overconsumption of clothing promoted by ‘fast fashion’ which leads to environmental problems as well as poor working conditions for fashion workers in less affluent regions (83). Advocates have offered suggestions such as second-hand fashion and material innovations as solutions ( Kate Fletcher, 2008 ). Mair gives these discussions further depth. In Chapter Five, she examines various psychological reasons behind fashion adoption in consumer society. People shop for fashion not only for utilitarian purposes, but also to construct an image of the self, to pursue a particular lifestyle or social identity, to express one’s beliefs and values and sometimes also for fun. To promote sustainable fashion consumption in a society, these factors cannot be neglected. The chapter furthermore analyses the inadequacy of fashion recycling through the theory of contagion: some people refuse recycled clothing as they may associate the garment with its previous owner, or consider it an old and unwanted item. Upcycling, which involves creating something new with existing things, seems a better strategy for these consumers. Meanwhile, Mair also suggests a psychological way to solve the problem of overproduction: to construct ‘conspicuous non-consumption as the new signifier of self-worth’ (85).

Fashion is not simply a matter of clothing or physical appearance. While some fashion theorists claim that fashion is inseparable from the body ( Joanne Entwistle, 2000 ; Malcolm Barnard, 2014 ), Mair manages to prove that fashion is also highly associated with our mind and behaviour. The increasing individualisation of contemporary fashion in the postmodern age reminds us of the significance of the psychological approach. By uniting psychology and fashion, this book offers a vision of fashion through the lens of most recent psychological theories. It is also a good introduction to a number of fashion theories, and students will find rich information covering classic social and cultural theories and texts relevant to fashion studies.

Note: This review gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics.

Image Credit: ( Unsplash CCO ).

About the author

Xiaoqing Wang is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. Her research project focuses on the semiological analysis of historical visual data in fashion discourses. She has particular interest in visual research methods, sociology of art and cultural theories.

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The Dress Doctor Is In

By Jennifer Miller

Last February, Dawnn Karen, a brand consultant, therapist and instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, arrived at a Marcel Ostertag fashion show wearing five-inch studded stilettos and a black jumpsuit with a cape. “This cape makes me feel like Superwoman,” she said. “It’s that sense of control.” She strutted off to pose for photographers at the show’s entrance.

A self-described “fashion psychologist,” Ms. Karen pays close attention to the relationship between attire and attitude: not just how clothes make you look, but how they make you feel. She had come to the Ostertag show, she said, to analyze the psychology behind the collection.

When a model walked by in a silky pink blouse, Ms. Karen pronounced it an example of “mood enhancement theory”: how an item could amplify positive emotions. When another model floated past in an all-silver get-up, Ms. Karen said the outfit represented “repetitious wardrobe complex,” the tendency to use clothes for emotional comfort. “Ostertag seems to be a paradox,” she said after the show. “I would label him and his collection as ‘progressive-conservativism.’”

To be clear, none of these theories or labels can be found in any psychology textbook or D.S.M. manual. Ms. Karen, 29, developed them over the last few years, as she cultivated her academic career and her personal brand.

Fashion psychology, as she defines it, is the “study and treatment of how color, image, style and beauty affects human behavior, while addressing cultural norms and cultural sensitivities.” She believes the field is especially relevant today, as consumers are increasingly critical of the fashion industry and its tone-deafness toward body image and race.

“There are so many blunders in advertising and fashion,” said Ms. Karen, who is African-American. She pointed to missteps including H&M using a black child to model its “coolest monkey in the jungle” sweatshirt; Zara’s miniskirt with the alt-right symbol Pepe the Frog; and a Dove skin care campaign that featured a black model who turned into a white one . “People are speaking out about all this,” she said. “That’s why you need a fashion psychologist on your advisory team.”

Ms. Karen has taught fashion psychology at the F.I.T.’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies. She also has an online Fashion Psychology Institute , where she offers courses in “The Hoodie Effect: George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin” and “The Nazi Haircut” (in which she explores why the “undercut” is so attractive to white supremacists).

Now, F.I.T.’s social sciences department, where she teaches the psychology of color and general psychology, is reviewing her proposal to make a fashion psychology course part of the undergraduate curriculum.

Cognitive Consumer-Behavior Therapy?

Ms. Karen calls herself a “pioneer” of the “Fashion Psychology Field,” (a phrase she has trademarked), but she is not alone in combining the topics. For the past decade, the department of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware has offered a course called the Social Psychological Aspects of Clothing. Its professor, Jaehee Jung, says it’s one of the few requirements for both apparel design and fashion merchandising majors.

Whereas a fashion business class may teach students how to design and market a product based on demographic trends, Ms. Jung’s students explore the psychology behind consumer behavior. “We talk about perceptions and standards of attractiveness,” she said. “Where these come from and how we use them to judge others.”

The London College of Fashion offers what may be the field’s most comprehensive academic program. In 2014, the school introduced graduate programs in applied psychology in fashion and in psychology for fashion professionals. Last year, the school started an undergraduate major in the psychology of fashion.

“The fashion industry speaks so much about memory, problem solving and nostalgia,” said Carolyn Mair, who founded the programs and now runs a consulting firm. “And yet in the industry, these psychological concepts lack academic rigor and training.”

Ms. Mair gave the example of sustainably produced clothes. Brands have been good at raising awareness of the issue, she believes, but not at influencing our purchasing decisions. “If the fashion industry was to work with psychologists who understand human behavior,” she said, “they could implement scientifically based behavioral change programs” to influence what consumers buy.

Ms. Mair, a psychologist with a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience, is careful to call herself a “psychologist who works in the fashion industry,” because the term “fashion psychologist” isn’t recognized by any official academic or licensing body.

Ms. Karen has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Columbia Teachers College, but she is used to skepticism. Some people think she made up her name for the attention. (Though she did drop her surname, Brown, during a modeling stint in graduate school, her mother named her after the designer Donna Karan and Dawnn Lewis, an actress from “A Different World.”)

Ms. Karen is also aware of race bias. “I have to fight through a lot of barriers,” she said. “When they see me, I know they’re expecting someone else. ‘You couldn’t possibly be a black woman.’”

Clothes Counsel

Much of the interest in Ms. Karen’s work has come from outside America. In 2017, Kyiv Security Forum, which is based in Ukraine, invited Ms. Karen to speak about the burkini and the intersection of religion and fashion.

In May, a public relations firm is flying her to Australia to consult on consumer behavior and clothes care. And she has coming presentations at universities in Malaysia and Rome. Most recently, a bespoke Italian-Canadian men’s wear brand called Cattivo Ragazzo hired Ms. Karen to design a personality test for customers on its new e-commerce platform.

“Dawnn is looking at who our customer is: where on the scale of introvert to extrovert; are they jet-setters or homebodies; flamboyant or conservative?” said Dino Minichiello, 49, the brand’s founder. “You need to extract the personality of the customer to know if high-contrast stitching on lapels will make him feel uncomfortable.”

Ms. Karen calls this work “styling from the inside out.” As she said, “most of the time we go into our closet and say, ‘I’ll wear this color.’ But we’re not in tune with how we’re feeling.” In both her brand consulting and counseling practice, for which she charges $1,000 to $5,000 per month, she is constantly assessing how clients use clothes — either as an emotional crutch or a means of empowerment.

One client is a widow who continued to buy black clothing two years after her husband’s death. “She didn’t know that she was doing it,” Ms. Karen said. “And I thought, ‘Why aren’t you aware?’” Addressing that “why” helped the client work through her grief, Ms. Karen said.

Chris Rob, a Brooklyn-based musician and D.J. in his late 30s, said that Ms. Karen helped him use clothes to build confidence as a performer. “I’ve worked with stylists who will say, ‘Hey, this would look nice on you,’” he said. “Dawnn’s attitude is, ‘Let’s start with you. Why do you choose what you wear, and how is it holding you back from making stronger choices?’”

For Ms. Karen, clothes have been a kind of personal armor. She first considered exploring the role of psychology in fashion during graduate school at Columbia. She was a year into the program, she said, when she was assaulted by her fiancé. “The next day, I went to my closet and said, ‘O.K., I’ve got to look good.’ I put on something elaborate and fashionable. I remember going to class with these huge feather earrings I’d made. Every day, I used clothes to heal myself.”

Now that she’s the one teaching, Ms. Karen dresses more for her students than for herself. “I deliberately dress down to debunk the notion that a young black girl in sweats is from the hood, or the ghetto, or isn’t smart,” she said. “Students see me, and I give them a whole different idea of what an urban dresser can be.”

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117 Awesome Fashion Research Topics: Inspirational Ideas List

Finding some decent fashion research topics that you can use for your next papers is not easy nowadays. You want something new, something original. Your classmates are probably scouring the Internet as we speak, so why are you still wasting time? Take a look at our long list of 117 exceptional fashion research topics and choose the best one right now.

What makes our topics different, you ask? Our experts are constantly updating the list and adding new ideas. This means you will always be able to find an original idea here on this page. We will soon be adding new topics for 2023, so stay tuned!

What Is The Fashion Research Paper?

Keep in mind that finding some great fashion topics to write about is not enough. You need to be able to create a well-organized, concise research paper. To help you do just that, we will show you the 8 main parts of a research paper:

Title page (or cover page) Start with a hook to catch the attention of your readers, then talk a bit about the background of the problem and present your thesis. Literature review. Here, you will need to demonstrate that you have analyzed the literature related to the topic and that there is a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed. Research In this section, you will explain in great detail all the methods you have used to gather the data. Be as specific as possible. Data analysis. This is the section where you present and analyze the data. Be objective and avoid discussing the results. This is the section where you can discuss your findings and prove how your research results back your thesis. Don’t forget to acknowledge the limitations of your research. Restate your thesis and summarize your research and findings. Show your readers how your findings answer the research questions. References page. This is where you list all the resources you have used to write your research Make sure you don’t miss any.

Now that you know the overall structure of a research paper, it’s time to give you some excellent topics to write about:

Brand New Fashion Research Paper Topics

We will start our list with the brand new fashion research paper topics. These have been added to the list recently, so you can pick one right now knowing that it’s original:

• Fashion in Ancient Rome
• The impact of Jane Austen on the world of fashion
• Swimwear in the 1980s
• Using bizarre colors in fashion
• The rise and fall of the jeans
• Peer pressure related to fashion trends
• Social networking and fashion
• The life and work of Giorgio Armani
• Talk about hippie fashion
• Fashion in Islamic religions

Interesting Fashion Topics To Write About

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, we have a long list of interesting fashion topics to write about. Take a look at the following ideas:

• The rise of the Chanel brand
• Does price reflect quality?
• Fashion in Ancient Egypt
• The sense of fashion in women
• The link between art and fashion
• Discuss ethics in fashion
• The relationship between style and money
• The role of clothes in your culture
• Interesting fashion hacks

Fashion Research Topics 2023

In the fashion research topics 2023, you can find topics that were greatly appreciated in 2023. These may or may not be as appreciated in 2024 though:

• Fashion in developing countries
• Research smart casual fashion
• Compare Asian fashion with American fashion
• Fashion and aesthetics
• Marketing a new brand of clothes
• Fashion in vlogging
• What are cycles in fashion?
• The rise of the Versace empire
• Fashion in Paris

Advanced Fashion Topics To Discuss

We also have a list of more advanced fashion topics to discuss. Just keep in mind that the following topics are not easy to write about. But as an option, you can buy a dissertation on any topic.

• Negative effects of fashion on the environment
• Forecasting new trends in 2023
• Celebrities and fashion
• Negative effects of fashion on the human psychology
• Influencer marketing of fashion products
• Fashion from a religious standpoint
• The place of leather in fashion in 2023
• Largest fashion shows in the world
• The importance of Fashion Weeks in Eastern Europe

Fun Research Topics On Fashion

Who said a research paper can’t be fun? Choose one of these fun research topics on fashion and start writing the perfect paper today:

• Fashion in 1990s media
• Funny fashion mishaps
• Men in fashion advertisements/commercials
• Fashion in medieval times
• Crossover fashion in 2023
• Can you start a fashion business?
• Fashion in the royal family (the UK)
• Fashion and school uniforms

Important People In Fashion

One of the easiest ways to write a research paper in the field of fashion is to research an icon. Here are some important people in a fashion that you can talk about:

• Karl Lagerfeld
• Stella McCartney
• Audrey Hepburn
• David Bowie
• Princess Diana
• Charles Frederick Worth
• Harry Styles
• Kim Taehyung
• Coco Chanel
• Designer Paul Poiret

Fashion Research Paper Topics For High School

If you are a high school student, you need some easier topics to write on. Check out these fashion research paper topics for high school and pick the one you like:

• Fashion in Ancient Egyptian times
• Michael Jackson’s fashion
• Fashion in Western Europe
• Fashion at the workplace
• Fashion in schools in the UK
• Discuss fashion in North Korea
• Luxury products and the human brain
• Fashion trends and the science that explains them

Captivating Fashion Design Research Paper Topics

In case you want to discuss fashion design, we have a nice list of captivating fashion design research paper topics right here. All these topics are, of course, 100% free to use:

• Fashion in the LGBTQ community
• Fashion in Nazi Germany
• Fun facts about beachwear
• The role of Versace in fashion
• New York as a fashion center
• Effects of Tik-Tok on fashion
• The origins of ethnic clothing
• Mixing 3 styles the right way
• Fashion and sexism in 2023

Fast Fashion Research Paper Topics

Don’t want to spend a lot of time working on that research paper? No problem! Simply choose one of these fast fashion research paper topics:

• The role of politics in fashion in the United States
• Talk about wedding ceremony fashion
• Talk about trends in baby clothing in the United Kingdom
• The role celebrities play in fashion marketing
• Talk about 3 iconic fashion characters
• An in-depth look at fashion in the punk world

Fashion Topics To Research In 2023

It’s time to think about the topics that should work great in 2023. In fact, our experts have already compiled a list of fashion topics to research in 2023:

• Talk about the notion of “invisible branding” in fashion
• Research women’s fashion in the 1980s
• The role played by art in fashion trends
• Research 3 major fashion companies
• Talk about the low rise fashion trend
• Discuss the women’s oversized bomber jackets trend

Fashion And Marketing Research Topics

As you probably know, fashion and marketing go hand in hand. Take a look at our latest and most interesting fashion and marketing research topics right here:

• Fashion marketing on social media
• Fashion marketing in the 1960s
• Effective marketing strategies for luxury products
• Style vs. functionality in marketing
• Marketing and fashion cycles
• The role of fashion in TV commercials

Fashion Ideas For College Students

College students should research topics that are more complex in nature. Don’t worry though; we have more than enough fashion ideas for college students:

• Research the hoodies under blazers fashion trend
• Compare Asian and European fashion
• Research Jane Austen’s style
• A closer look at minimalist fashion
• The beginning of the Haute Couture
• Fashion and the Internet

Unique Ideas Related To Fashion

This list of topics has been revised recently to make sure all ideas are unique. So, if you’re looking for unique ideas related to fashion, you have definitely arrived at the right place:

• Analyze the cropped cardigans trend
• Research the plus-size fashion industry in Indonesia
• The impact of feminism on fashion
• Social issues caused by fashion
• Fashion and cheap labor
• Effects of religion on fashion

Easy Fashion Essay Topics

If you want to make sure you ace that research paper, you should find an easy topic to talk about. Take a look at these easy fashion essay topics and pick one today:

• Discuss the notion of “color blocking”
• Fashion trends during World War II
• The evolution of men’s suits over the last 100 years
• Fashion and child labor
• What is organic clothing?
• Talk about the rise of wig fashion

Creative Fashion Research Questions

Professors really appreciate creativity, so you should definitely go through this list of creative fashion research questions:

• A closer look at the puff sleeves trend
• The Kardashian family’s impact on fashion
• How did Chanel rise to fame?
• Sustainability in the fashion industry
• Fashion and body types
• Interesting fashion trends in Dubai
• Talk about fashion in the armed forces

Get Help With Thesis Writing Today

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What Does a Fashion Psychologist Actually Do?

When I recently learned that a friend of a friend was studying to be a fashion psychologist, I immediately wondered what that could possibly entail. Though I understand fashion and psychology, I was curious to find out what it meant to merge the two on a professional level. So, after doing some digging, I discovered Dr. Carolyn Mair, a renowned British psychologist and scientist with a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience, who has even been interviewed by Alexa Chung . I reached out to Mair and asked her to fill me in on her unusual career.

1. How would you define fashion psychology?

To me fashion psychology sounds like “wardrobe therapy,” which isn’t at all what I do. I’m a cognitive psychologist who applies psychological science to the context of fashion. So, I am concerned not only with clothing (fashion) but with human behaviour across all aspects of fashion from design through the entire supply chain, to consumption and disposal. We are concerned with the many and varied individual, societal, and environmental issues that result directly or indirectly from the fashion industries.

Beauty is a huge focus, as well as body image, self-esteem, confidence, the sexualisation of women, and the selection/treatment of models. With regard to money, [we’ll study] debt that comes from compulsive spending, and over-consumption that results in the disposal of unworn items. This results in the problem of landfill sites and other pollutants. In regard to production, there are many ecological issues, such as pollution of lakes and rivers from dye, depletion of natural resources from over-production, etc.

2. What exactly does a fashion psychologist do? What’s a typical day in your life like?

I am mainly an academic, so like most other academics, my days are busy and varied. In addition to preparing teaching materials, supervising research students, managing staff, conducting research projects, and attending meetings, I spend a good deal of time meeting people who want to find out how to make a positive difference in a particular area of interest. For example, I was recently contacted by a major U.K. charity that wanted me to help young people overcome body-image issues that have manifested as bullying or as eating disorders. I have also been contacted by an organisation that works with older people to help them boost their self-esteem through the vehicle of fashion.  Another example would be  a research study I recently completed, investigating older women’s perceptions of the industry’s advertising [geared toward] older women. The work is always varied and interesting. I can honestly say I’m never bored! 

3. How did you get involved in fashion psychology in the first place?

Like many women, I have always been interested in fashion and appearance. Although I’ve not had any formal training in fashion, I started designing and making clothes for myself when I was 13 years old and then started making them for other people. I also worked as a visual merchandiser and graphic designer before becoming a psychologist. The London College of Fashion is world famous, and I really wanted to visit, so when the opportunity came up to present a paper there, I seized it. The rest is history

4. What would you recommend people do if they want to give fashion psychology a shot?

I developed the world’s first and only master’s courses that apply psychology to the context of fashion. These are the MA psychology for fashion professionals or the MSc applied psychology in fashion at London College of Fashion. I’m delighted to say that the MSc has been accredited by the British Psychological Society, which enables graduates to continue studying to become Chartered Psychologists at some point in the future. To be accepted into the MA or MSc programs, students need to submit a proposal in which they identify an existing issue in the fashion world that could be investigated using psychological science, with the aim of making a positive difference. Although we don’t expect the applicants to propose a perfect study, we do expect them to demonstrate a curious mind and the capacity for abstract thought.

Very little empirical research in fashion psychology currently exists. As a result, the students need to identify and transfer concepts from other domains to the novel context of fashion. This requires abstract, critical, and creative thinking. Many of the students are psychology graduates, but this isn’t a prerequisite, and some come from [backgrounds in] business, law, anthropology, fashion, fine arts, history of art, or communications. The important characteristics for success in either the MA or MSc programs would be a strong work ethic (there’s a lot of independent study), curiosity (we want to find out how and why phenomena occur to enable us to predict and then change behavior), and the ability to think creatively (to transfer concepts across contexts to generate new hypotheses).

Would you ever consider a career in fashion psychology? Let us know in the comments, and shop some of our favorite fashion books below!

The Little Dictionary of Fashion  by Christian Dior  ($15)Before there were sites like Who What Wear, there was this book, which provides timeless style tips on everything from wedding to travel attire.

Champagne Supernovas  by Maureen Callahan  ($18)Callahan unpacks the alternative fashion era that was the '90s by focusing on the most iconic personalities from that time. You'll never see any of them the same way!

The End of Fashion  by Teri Agins  ($12)Agins explores how fashion went from being an elitest industry to one that caters to the mass market, and shares plenty of juicy industry anecdotes along the way.

The Beautiful Fall  by  Alicia Drake  ($19)Drake unpacks the glamorous fashion world of 1970s Paris and focuses in on one of its greatest rivalries: Karl Lagerfeld vs. Yves Saint Laurent.

Chic and practical.

By Grace Day

Bring on the sunshine.

By Florrie Alexander

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