Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of age-ambiguous and sexualized clothing styles (ASCS) on the development of early adolescent females’ self-concept. Both the socialization and consumer socialization models were utilized to address the factors contributing to the development of early adolescent females. Thirty-one young adult female college students participated in in-depth interviews consisting of retrospective questions concerning the clothing styles adopted in early adolescence and an evaluation of their current self-concept through the “Who am I?” test. All of their mothers were also interviewed in regards to the clothing styles their daughters adopted in early adolescence and the relationship they perceived those styles had with their daughters’ current self-concept. For data analysis the constant comparative method and open-coding were used, resulting in the following findings. First, ASCS in the US were typically represented by spaghetti straps, low-rise jeans, midriff bearing tops, short skirts or shorts, and logo tees emblazoned with sexual innuendos. Second, the reasons early adolescent females adopted ASCS were in order to fit-in, to be “cool” and popular. Both sets of participants believed that the styles were the result of a cultural ideal of beauty and appearance that is more sexual and body-oriented. Third, there was a difference in the self-concept scores of the young adult females who adopted ASCS during early adolescence and those who did not. Those who wore the styles showed signs of being more appearance oriented and less concerned with the sexual connotations associated with the styles. There was also a consensus amongst both sets of participants that wearing ASCS at a younger age could possibly delay the developmental process. Finally, most of the sixty participants considered the parents and the apparel industry, as well as society at large, responsible for creating the sexualized environment in which young girls are being raised. They hoped the apparel industry would recognize the impact of ASCS on young girls and willingly decide to offer age-appropriate and less sexualized styles to early adolescent females. Overall ASCS of early adolescent females not only have an impact on psychological and social development but also on the formation of consumer behavior profiles through the consumer socialization process. This study provides insight into the impact of ASCS on the self-image of early adolescent females, especially in relation to the current cultural ideal of beauty and appearance. The findings of this study can contribute to a variety of fields both within and outside the area of textiles and clothing.
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