How Clothes Make the Woman Immoral: Impressions Given Off by Sexualized Clothing

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Abstract

The goal of the present study was to examine clothing as a marker of women's sexuality. Ninety-five women in their 20s - 60s participated in in-depth interviews. Many women reported concern with sexual messages others might perceive from their clothing, and judged other women's clothing on the dimensions of authenticity, morality, and appropriateness. Self- and other- clothing judgments varied by the target's age, marital status, and parental status, and for other-judgments, by social class and generation. Results suggest that women's bodies are socially monitored and that sexual subjectivity is suppressed through the stigmatization of women's sexualized dress.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)167-181
Number of pages15
JournalClothing and Textiles Research Journal
Volume31
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous)
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • General Business, Management and Accounting
  • Materials Science (miscellaneous)

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