Abstract

Women in the United States are often subjected to unrealistic standards of ideal appearance. These ideals are even more extreme in the fashion industry. Because professional women who hold creative positions in the fashion industry are in the business of creating style and beauty, there is a high level of expectation toward them to maintain their dress and appearance at a not explicitly stated, but anticipated, and often unrealistic standard. In this study, creative positions refer to design, color and trend forecasting, product development and merchandising related jobs. Older women working in these areas are in a double bind because when one is responsible for creating consumer products for the fashion industry, the perceptions of one’s appearance become part of one’s professional expectations, reflecting one’s esthetic values and creative capital. This qualitative study explores the complexity of age, dress, experience, and consumption needs of this professional cohort in today’s visual and youth-centric culture that pervades the fashion industry. The study addresses social and cultural views on fashion as it relates to the ageing body and self-image by analyzing the relationship between women’s personal style and the industry’s expectations for their workplace appearance.

摘要

在美国，女性往往要面对不切实际的理想外表标准。这些理想在时装界更加极端。由于在时装界担任创意职务的职业女性正在从事创造风格和美感的工作，因此人们对她们的着装要求很高，他们希望将她们的着装和外观保持在一个没有明确规定，但有预期且通常不切实际的标准上。在这项研究中，创意职位是指设计，色彩和趋势预测，产品开发和与销售相关的工作。在这些领域工作的老年妇女处于双重困境，因为当一个人负责为时装业创造消费产品时，对外表的感知就成为了职业期望的一部分，反映一个人的审美价值和创造力。这项定性研究探索了当今时尚界和以青年为中心的这一文化背景下，这个专业人群的年龄，着装，经验和消费需求的复杂性。该研究通过分析女性的个人风格与行业对其工作场所外观的期望之间的关系，探讨了与时尚有关的社会和文化观点，因为时尚与衰老的身体和自我形象有关。