The Unspoken Truth: A Phenomenological Study of Changes in Women's Sense of Self and the Intimate Relationship with Cosmetics Consumption

The representation of women in Ghanaian radio commercials: Sustaining or challenging gender stereotypes?

“…In another study, Liu, Keeling, & Hogg (2012) look at cosmetic consumption as a way of (re)defining an individual's sense of self. Their findings suggest that because people use these cosmetics to enhance their physical appearance, consumers of cosmetic products consider their normal physical appearance as lacking some important ‘ingredients’.…”

Using attachment theory to understand consumers' tensions between their sense of self and goal-pursuits in relationships

“…In contrast to these findings, however, we found our participants' consumption deliberations seem to be mainly driven by a fearful-avoidant attachment style. This is perhaps not surprising as our participants are consumers who regularly use make-up and engage in personal adornment activities to enhance or transform their perceived self (also see Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997;Liu et al, 2012;Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005). We, therefore, tentatively suggest that appearance-related product categories (e.g., cosmetics, fashion clothing etc.)…”

“…as a substitute for their faltering interpersonal relationships (Arndt, Solomon, Kasser, & Sheldon, 2004;Rindfleisch, Burroughs, & Wong, 2009). This is because material goods may serve as relationship partners (Fournier & Alvarez, 2012;Thomson et al, 2012) (hence diminishing the need for person relationships) and/or as a means for signaling consumers' ideal self to potential social others (Liu, Keeling, & Hogg, 2012;Swaminathan, Stilley, & Ahluwalia, 2009) (therefore improving their chances of being accepted).…”

“…The unadorned self becomes something they feel ashamed about, something they deny as representing who they are, and this often undermines how they behave in social interactions as a result (Lewis, 1995;Liu et al, 2012).…”

The interplay of the desired and undesired selves in everyday consumption

“…In addition, Liu, Keeling and Hogg (2012) found their informants to vary their self-adornment efforts as a way to achieve desired relationship outcomes, and to avoid a sense of negative self in relation to their significant others. In their study (Liu et al, 2012), Martha described how she used to wear layers of makeup in order to empower herself in social relationships, and to help her cope with memories of the interpersonal difficulties that she had faced during her turbulent teenage years. However, she also described how she distanced herself from layers of makeup in situations where she sought to build a more genuine relationship.…”