O consumo de vestuário como forma de negociação da identidade feminina: um estudo sobre mulheres latino-americanas na França

Abstract

The link between consumer practices and negotiation of identity is a topic well known and studied in consumer research (JANTZEN; OSTERGAARD; VIEIRA, 2006). According to Thompson and Hirschman (1995), consumption is an important source of definition of what each person understands or wants to be, based on images and styles transmitted through possessions. Among the various tools used by individuals for the self construction, clothing is presented as one of the possibilities. Kaiser (1990) argues that the consumption of garment and fashion occupies an important role in the construction of identity and individuality of a person. The way of dressing assumes the function of passing messages of personal values and aesthetic preferences of the individual, causing his acceptance by the others (KAISER, 1990). This study uses the theoretical lenses of identity construction to analyse a rather interesting context which presents curious numbers today: the immigration of latin women in foreign countries, with a focus of investigation in France. The objective of the research was to understand how these people use garment consumption as a means of negotiating their feminine identities. For this, a qualitative study based on an interpretive approach was designed. Fifteen latin american women and three french participated in stages of in-depth and projective interviews for obtaining the results. At the end of a long process of report analysis, supported by a robust theoretical foundation, it was possible to observe that these women negotiate their identities through the use of garments which blend the new to their original values. In other words, they adopt elements, in a way, different from the ones they used to use, but still aligned with their values and essences. Thus, it is possible to identify a central coherence in their choices, which is not cancelled due to the context, but rather adapted.