2 Dress, Appearance, and Identity
Module Learning Objectives (MLO)
In this chapter, you will
- MLO 2.1 Identify foundational concepts and theories related to identity and dress. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.2 Identify pioneering scholars in the identity and dress discipline. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.3 Identify the sources of the information and research for the course content. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.4 Summarize the role of dress in identity development. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.5 Explain the ways individuals learn about how to dress. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.6 Explain various motivations for dress. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.7 Analyze the relationships among stigma, stigma management, identity, and dress. [CLO 1]
- MLO 2.8 Deconstruct your own perspectives and approaches to understanding the dress of others. [CLO 4]
The material presented in this book comes from studies or research in various fields of inquiry, or disciplines. Some of the fields that relate to the topics covered in this book include those listed below:
- psychology
- social psychology
- anthropology
- cultural studies
- women’s studies
- fashion studies
Scholars and researchers (e.g., professors, government agencies, and nonprofits) do systematic inquiry through studies, research, and anonymous peer review prior to their work being published.
What Is Peer Review?
Peer review is a really important part of publishing scholarship. Much of the work discussed in this book is from peer-reviewed research. Peer-reviewed research, the lengthy process outlined below, can take anywhere from six months to multiple years.
- Researcher(s) conducts a study and write(s) up their results in a paper.
- The researcher(s) submit(s) their paper to an editor.
- Keeping the author(s) name(s) anonymous, the editor sends the paper out to two or more reviewers who evaluate it for content and rigor.
- The reviewers decide whether the paper should be published also suggest changes (often, a significant number of changes).
- The researcher/author(s) edit(s) their paper based on the reviewers’ feedback (sometimes over multiple rounds).
- Finally, the paper is published.
Types of Inquiry
There are many ways to study dress, appearance, and identity. The following are a few examples:
- observation: ethnography, prolonged engagement with community; today there are both in-person and online ethnographic methods.
- material culture: study of objects such as at a museum or in an archive.
- historical investigation: examination of documents, garments, and other primary sources to tell the story of the past.
- survey: fill in the blank, check a box.
- interviews: both individual and focus groups (multiple people).
Example of a peer-reviewed research paper
Below is an example of a published peer-reviewed paper. Scholars at Cornell University conducted the research and then published it in an academic journal.
Study: Negotiating Identities in the Furry Fandom through Costuming (Satinsky & Green, 2016)
Method: The authors used various methods to investigate how individuals nego