A Study on Image Preferences of Clothing Styles and Self-Image

의복 스타일 이미지 선호와 자기이미지와의 관계 연구

The objectives of this study were to find out the relationships between clothing style pre-ferences and self-image and to examine the differences in clothing style preferences ac-cording to marital status educational level and social stratification of women. The drawings of clothing style were designed referring to the catalogues for spring/summer of 1996 and printed by computer 6 styles of suit corresponding to clothing image were selected. Style A is a brown suit decorated with scarf style B a grey suit with stripes C a yellow suit with printed pattern D a grey and beige suit E a chanel suit decorated with corsage and F a blue suit with pleated skirt. The self-image was separated to the actual self-image and the ideal self-image. Samples were 226 women(ages 18 to 37) in Seoul Korea. The results of the study were the followings. 1. Clothing images of 6 styles were estimated; Style A was plain conservative formal and gentle image ; B masculine solid actual dark and plain image; C feminine romantic bright and splendid image; D actual ordinary un-fashionable and plain image; E feminine ten-der romantic and non-active image ; F indi-vidual fshionable open casual sprightly and active image. 2. There were significant relationships be-tween clothing style preferences and realistic self-image. The women who considered them-selves as masculine preferred style B mascu-line and plain image. The women feminine and conservative preferred style E feminine and tender image. The women not to follow the fshion preferred style D ordinary and plain image. The women informal and open pre-ferred the style F casual and active image. 3. There were significant relationships be-tween clothing style preferences and ideal self-image. The women who wanted to be-tween clothing style preferences and ideal self-image. The women who wanted to be con-sidered themselves as feminine and conserva-tive preferred style E feminine and tender im-age. The women who wanted gentle and con-servative preferred style D ordinary and plain image. The women who wanted sprightly pre-ferred the style F casual and active image. 4. There were significant differences in clothing style preferences according to marital status educational level and social stratifi-cation. The women with more eduacation pre-ferred the splendid and the plain image at the same time. The upper class preferred feminine image and lower class casual and active image.