Ambivalence Expressed in Contemporary Fashion

현대복식에 나타난 양면감정

The purposes of the present research were (1) to investigate the sociological factors influencing the increase of ambivalence and the relationship between, the ambivalence and fashion change(2) to categorize sets of the ambivalence expressed for contemporary fashion and (3) to examine the frequency and the patterns of ambivalence presented for contemporary fashion. This research was conducted through in depth literature review and content analysis. Data was collected from 806 colored pictures presented on 'Collections' from 1972 to 1988. Eight types of clothing cues were incluede: look color texture decorative motifs of clothing collar sleeve and wearer's headdress/hair style and make-up. The results of this study were as follows: 1 The popularization of culture has been accelerated by mass production mass consumption and mass media. Since the 1980s postmodernism and poststructuralism have resulted in the breakdown of dualistic distinction. As the ambiguity of meaning in appearance increases the meaning is negotiated constantly for identity. 2. The most frequenctly expressed ambivalence in clothing was feminity/masculinity and tradition/modernity and wealth/poverty was the least. The number of ambivalent expression were the highest during 1990s. The rapid growth in ambivalence of tradition/modernity was found in 1970s feminity/masculinity in 1980s and modesty/immodesty in 1990s. Within a clothing style ambivalence was manifested through feminine look in white for beauty/ugliness feminine look mainly in yellow/red for wealty/poverty sexy look dominantly in black for modesty/immodesty androgynous look in black for feminity/masculinity and through ecology look most frequently in black for tradition/modernity.