Fashion Psychology｜Positive Psychology in Fashion
Managing well-being through fashion practices
This article is a study note of the paper ‘Understanding the Links Between Positive Psychology and Fashion: A Grounded Theory Analysis’ by Christoph-Simon Masuch and Kate Hefferon.
In the field of psychology, fashion has been linked to ill-being, such as compulsive buying behaviours and body image issues, and few studies have explored the positive aspect of psychology in fashion practises. As a result, the authors intend to study fashion from a positive psychological standpoint. After conducting interviews with ten participants, the findings indicate that fashion practises are important in mood management, befriending the body, and negotiating selfhood.
(Notes: In this article, we won't mention the methodology. Instead, we'll only focus on the findings and the supporting evidence of related papers.)
▍Managing Everyday Well-being through Clothing Practices
Speaking of ‘Managing Everyday Well-being,’ there are two main categories of well-being: hedonic and eudaimonic. Before delving into these two types, let’s take a look at their psychological definitions.
(Notes: The definition sections are added to clarify the context of the article. The original paper does not contain this section.)
1. Hedonic well-being:
- Definition of hedonic well-being: According to Cambridge Dictionary, hedonic is connected with feelings of pleasure. The term ‘hedonic well-being’ refers to the pursuit of enjoyment (hedonic pleasure) or comfort (hedonic relaxation) (Asano et al, 2020).
This study discovered that fashion practises generate a rich source of positive emotions, which stem from the curiosity and inspiration of watching other people’s styles, such as reading fashion blogs or flipping through fashion magazines. As an example:
fashion blogs and things like that and, erm, I get a bit of a weird sort of thrill I guess… yeah, it’s researching into it and finding something new and… um… opening my eyes to something new. (Christine)
The fashion-related information arouses or satisfies the curious self, generates feelings of inspiration and excitement, and evokes new ideas for beautifying the visual self in the future.
From a broader perspective, we may conclude that fashion practises along with positive emotions may lead to positive changes in self-perception, as in:
I recently had an engagement party and… um… the dress that I chose made me feel very good about myself… once I put the dress on I felt great and it gave me a certain confidence… the actual clothes themselves made me feel so good that it gave me that confidence to meet a lot of people. (Aimee)
From the interview, we may see that fashion practises provide individuals with positive feelings such as self-enhancement, satisfaction, and comfort, allowing them to enter the social circle with self-assurance and confidence.
This result supports the findings of Tiggemann et al. (2009), who claim that viewing fashion magazines can improve viewers’ moods by encouraging inspiration and stimulating daydreams in women. Guy and Banim (2000) report similar findings, stating that women’s fashion collections can be a source of inspiration and feelings of joy.
key takeaway: Fashion practises that arouse positive emotions can be viewed as a dimension of hedonic well-being.
2. Eudaimonic well-being:
- Definition of eudaimonic well-being: The term ‘eudaimonic’ orientation refers to seeking meaning, even if it is challenging to accomplish (Asano et al, 2020).
The eudaimonic dimension of fashion practises reflects on nostalgic attachments to certain clothing items with profound symbolic meanings, which serve as reminders of personal change, growth, or a meaningful relationship. For examples:
It’s like keeping memories. I keep dresses or tops that remind me of several… of certain moments and events. Some of them do have their own subjec- tive value and I cannot just put them away or sell them on eBay. (Hannah)
I have one pair of trousers that’s like ripped all over and comes from my proper punky days when I was younger… one leg is tie-dyed green and the other one is tie-dyed purple and my best friend has exactly the same kind of jeans and they are just like, I don’t know, our friendship trousers (giggles)… (Isabel)
From these examples, we may see that participants still keep and treasure these clothing items even though they are no longer worn because these items help to remind them of bittersweet memories of bygone eras, developmental phases, significant social connections, and former selves.
key takeaway: Clothing with profound meaning can be viewed as a dimension of eudaimonic well-being.
▍A. Managing Mood
Previous research has shown that clothing choices are heavily influenced by one’s current mood, meaning ‘fashion is an outside expression of inner experience’ (Masuch & Hefferon, 2014, p. 238). More specifically, fashion practises can be viewed as a mechanism for regulating daily mood. In this section, two subgroups are presented: ‘Camouflaging on a Bad Day’ and ‘Catalysing Cheerfulness’.
1. Camouflaging on a Bad Day:
Fashion practices are used as a coping strategy to manage low moods.
From the interview, we could see that people who are self-absorbed, self-conscious, and less sociable tend to use clothing as a shield to blend into the background, avoid the spotlight, and create a sense of privacy. In short, fashion practises are being used to avoid psychological costs and maintain well-being through conformity.
When you’re wearing a red dress everybody will stare at you. You will get the attention you probably want to get by wearing such a colour but if you just… be it black or darkish blue… just being sort of invisible perhaps… being invisible meaning a certain safety for the day… just wear darker stuff and you’ll be… safe perhaps, I don’t know. That’s my sort of theory maybe. (Hannah)
This finding is in line with Hurlock (1929) and Clarke and Miller (2002) who proposed that anxiety is one of the main psychological motives behind fashion choices.
key takeaway: ‘Camouflaging on a Bad Day’ is a process of decreasing low affect and increase positive affect.
2. Catalysing Cheerfulness
Fashion practices could also function as a means to maintain positivity (high mood). From the statement below we may see that individuals use dress to express, underline, and catalyse their positive mood.
If you’re feeling good and then you put something good together it lifts you even further… When you’re having a good day it’s expressed in the way you put things together. (Frida)
key takeaway: ‘Catalyzing Cheerfulness’ demonstrates how fashion can be used to express and maintain positive emotions.
▍B. Befriending the Body
This study discovered that fashion practises also serve as a means of altering the body and thereby reducing bodily insecurities. By doing so, individuals may feel self-assured and appear (sexually) attractive in the social sphere.
It’s a case of showing off the things you’re confident about, you know, maximizing things that are good and hiding things that you think are bad. I’m quite confident about my legs and my bottom half and less confident about my top half… I also have a thing with my colouring ’cause I’m quite fair… I’d ideally cover as much skin… but maybe have more figure hugging things and heels as well. (Frida)
key takeaway: Fashion practises can be used to reduce negative emotions caused by not appreciating one’s own body.
▍C. Negotiating Selfhood
- Definition of negotiating selfhood: The sense of ‘selfhood’ refers to an individual’s experience with fashion or clothing use. The term ‘Negotiating Selfhood’ emerged from the tension between ‘Expressing Aspects of Self’ and ‘Creating Sameness’.
- Definition of ‘Expressing Aspects of Self’: It refers to the externalisation of self-expression through dress.
- Definition of ‘Creating Sameness’: It refers to internalising social dress standards and constructing social identities.
1. Expressing Aspects of Self:
In order to express and communicate the private self, fashion practises are being used as a visual representation of personal traits. For instance:
You can express a lot… I’m not buying into the mainstream kind of thing that’s going on out there. It’s a little bit boisterous… It’s standing out and a bit like the you-can’t-do-me-anything kind of attitude. (Isabel)
The following example presents the personality traits in fashion practices.
I am very happy to portray that image to people that I’m not some-body who’s gonna kind of fade away in the background, you know, I am very much here and present and alive and so I think that’s my form of expression… I guess you’re tied in to things that … things you are… so there’s a fun and humour element to my personality and I’m very happy for that to come out in my clothes. (Aimee)
Creating and projecting a desired image of self is regarded as a significant identity symbol. To be more specific, the form of identity is the process of self-actualization, which involves a visual representation of unique selfhood and reveals feelings such as comfort, self-confidence, and authenticity.
This finding is in line with Snyder and Fromkin’s ‘uniqueness-seeking theory’ (1977), which state that individuals have a need for uniqueness defined as ‘a positive striving for differentness to other people’.
The statement about self-actualization through fashion practises supports Guy and Banim’s (2000) finding that women’s clothing reveals stories about who they are (present self), who they desire to be (future self), and who they have been (past self). The following study done by Guy and Banim (2001) reported that women keep their clothing for sentimental and nostalgic value. This is due to the fact that these garments carry connotations and arouse meaningful memories of past relationships, times, and self.
key takeaway: Fashion practises that promote self-actualization empower the positive aspects of selfhood.
2. Creating Sameness
The driving force behind ‘Creating Sameness’ could be divided into two parts: ‘symbolization of social/group identities’ and ‘avoidance of fashion anxiety’.
- Symbolization of Social/Group Identities: This study discovered that participants tend to adhere to social dress norms, by adopting a similar ‘style’ to represent shared identity. For example, individuals tend to dress formally or professionally in the workplace to show and gain respect in the group.
Decent fashion makes me somehow appear more… authoritative perhaps… I try to appear very… not very strict but as strict as I could appear so I tend to pick darker colours with high heels. (Hannah)
- Avoidance of Fashion Anxiety: Fashion conformity is used as a strategy to play it safe and feel at ease in a group. Blending in thus avoided fashion anxiety and ensured well-being. For instance:
When you try and go past that collective, you know, collective identity you get slated for it or the piss taken out of you for a bit […] There’s also that fear that… that you could be criticized quite a bit. (Eric)
key takeaway: ‘Creating sameness’ in fashion practises may serve to symbolise group identity while avoiding fashion anxiety, therefore ensuring personal well-being.
▍Conclusion
The purpose of this study is to look at fashion from a positive psychological standpoint. The results reveal that fashion can be sued as a tool to manage mood, befriend the body, and negotiate selfhood. In addition, the interaction of these three processes constitutes the management of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.
▍References
Main source: Masuch, C. S., & Hefferon, K. (2014). Understanding the links between positive psychology and fashion: A grounded theory analysis. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 1(2), 227–246.
Asano, R., Igarashi, T., & Tsukamoto, S. (2020). The hedonic and eudaimonic motives for activities: Measurement invariance and psychometric properties in an adult japanese sample. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1220.
Banim, M. and Guy, A. (2001), ‘Dis/continued selves: Why do women keep clothes they no longer wear?’, in A. Guy, M. Banim and E. Green (eds), Through the Wardrobe: Women’s Relationships with Their Clothes, Oxford: Berg, pp. 189–203.
Clarke, A., & Miller, D. (2002). Fashion and anxiety. Fashion Theory, 6(2), 191–213.
Guy, A., & Banim, M. (2000). Personal collections: Women’s clothing use and identity. Journal of gender studies, 9(3), 313–327.
Hurlock, E. B. (1929). Motivation in fashion. Archives of Psychology.
Snyder, C. R., & Fromkin, H. L. (1977). Abnormality as a positive characteristic: The development and validation of a scale measuring need for uniqueness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86(5), 518.
Tiggemann, M., Polivy, J., & Hargreaves, D. (2009). The processing of thin ideals in fashion magazines: A source of social comparison or fantasy?. Journal of social and clinical psychology, 28(1), 73–93.
