Femininity and Fashion: How Women Experience Gender Role Through their Dressing Practices

Abstract

The aim of this article is to outline how the aesthetic experience of individuals constitutes nowadays a way of "doing" gender for them (West and Fenstermaker, 2006). Using the results of a qualitative survey carried out in France between 2013 and 2014 (32 women, 28 men), we will focus on one type of aesthetic practices: the dress choices of women. Ever since their childhood, women are encouraged to think about the image they express themselves through their clothes. This is why, their reflexivity on this subject is intense. After presenting the normative precepts that frame feminine appearance today, after highlighting the importance of aesthetic gender norms that promote certain dressing practices and condemn others, we will bring forward the multiple ways of living their gender role via their dressing practices of the women we met. Through their dressing choices, women appropriate their bodies. Whether they are in a process of adequacy or distance with the gendered beauty standards, their speeches and practices reveal how the construction of a certain appearance via clothing (moving during their life) is a central element of their identity building.

Feminist and Non-Feminist Elements in The Devil Wears Prada and Their Reflections in Contemporary Society

“…Andrea's fashion choice expresses competence at work and her identity as someone in the fashion industry. Women use fashion as a means to build their identity [8]. Miranda's clothes best exemplify her character as a harsh woman with power and a helpless mother who fears failing her children.…”

Female aesthetic experience on apparel products

“…Taking a gander at how you dress can prompt various implications (2). The importance shows up in numerous ways: communicating from the actual structure; for instance, gentility can be communicated through specific tones, surfaces, lines, and shapes; for example, light qualities and muffled tones; blended lines or little shapes; and smooth surfaces that characterize the body delicately and consistently.…”

Befriending the body through clothes: the role of clothing in secular and religious women’s body appreciation

“…The positive aspect of clothing lies in the flexibility and playfulness that Cash (2008) defined as "flexible grooming. " From a feminist perspective, it is the difference between dressing for the male gaze and dressing out of a personal narrative (Braizaz, 2018).…”

“…If clothing practices prioritize attaining fashionable standards, it may exacerbate self-objectification and body dissatisfaction ( Lemma, 2014 ; Engeln and Zola, 2021 ). The positive aspect of clothing lies in the flexibility and playfulness that Cash (2008) defined as “flexible grooming.” From a feminist perspective, it is the difference between dressing for the male gaze and dressing out of a personal narrative ( Braizaz, 2018 ).…”