Identity (Re)construction through sharing: A study of mother and teenage daughter dyads in France and Japan

Abstract

We use the transitional and liminal stage when daughters enter adolescence to investigate how sharing practices within families are employed as a resource in identity work. We show the importance of "sharing in" within some French dyads, as a means for discovering new life projects and for rediscovering past identity projects driven by selfexpressive motivations. In contrast, Japanese dyads are often reluctant to share personal possessions (sharing out) in order to maintain hierarchical relationships (affiliation motivations) and remain fashionably up-to-date (self-expressive motivations) in their identity work, and in their drive to maintain and prolong their mothering role. In order to better target adolescent girls' mothers, retailers could develop more clothing appeals based on inter-generational approaches in France and intra-generational approaches in Japan.

Motherhood and consumption: A systematic review and directions for future research

“…Finally, the methodology used for the systematic review and the proposed framework are intended to benefit future research endeavors that extend beyond motherhood and consumption. Among the most productive authors on the subject, Hogg (Banister et al, 2010(Banister et al, , 2016Curasi et al, 2004;Davis et al, 2018Davis et al, , 2022Gentina et al, 2017), emeritus professor at the University of Lancaster, stands out not only for the number of articles published (6) but also for the permanence of her interest in motherhood and consumption over almost two decades. Her first article, catalogued in WOS, dates from 2004, while the last one is from 2022.…”

“…The first four articles in which Hogg writes with other authors bring the theme of identity in common, whether in the act of consuming in empty nests (Curasi et al, 2004); in the consumption of discourses around motherhood (Banister et al, 2010); in consumption as a way for lowincome mothers to seek social approval (Banister et al, 2016); and in sharing practices between mothers and daughters used as a resource in identity work (Gentina et al, 2017).…”

Studying Pre-Adolescents: An Autoethnographic Account of a Parent-as-Researcher

“…Finally, 10 mothers participated in in-depth interviews (McCracken, 1988) since motherdaughter interactions influence pre-adolescent girls' consumption decisions and new identity creation during girls' liminal transition (Gentina et al, 2017;Grant & Stephen, 2005). Moreover, mothers are crucial in girls' gender socialization (Afflerback et al, 2014), and exploring mothers' perspectives helped the author better immerse herself in the girls' universe.…”

The Power of Sharing to Support Consumers through Liminality

“…Although provocative, this study does not focus on liminality and only focuses on one type of transition. Gentina et al (2017), however, show how sharing clothing helps teenagers express new selves during liminality. This study is also limited because it only focuses on “sharing-in” within the family (Belk, 2009 p. 275).…”