The Potential of YouTube as a Medium for Fashion Criticism from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics Perspective -An Analysis of Fashion YouTube Comments-

수용미학 관점에서 살펴본 유튜브의 패션 비평 매체 가능성 -패션 유튜브 콘텐츠 댓글 분석을 중심으로-

This study applied the Reception Aesthetics theory to analyze the content and comments of fashion YouTubers, identifying five types of responses to explore contemporary fashion criticism on YouTube. The top five popular videos from leading fashion YouTubers were selected, and the comments categorized into associative, admiring, sympathetic, cathartic, and ironic responses. Both the content and comments were analyzed. The findings indicate that YouTube serves as a new arena for fashion criticism, incorporating public opinions. In the associative type, viewers actively engaged with the YouTuber's content, sharing critical opinions. The admiring type featured exaggerated praise and amazement, contributing to a consensus among viewers. The sympathetic type reflected empathy from the creator's perspective, incorporating personal experiences into the criticism. The cathartic type revealed responses providing emotional release, while the ironic type included social criticism through sarcasm. This study confirms that YouTube is evolving from mere content consumption to a space where the public actively participates and engages in criticism. It highlights the potential for a bidirectional platform to expand fashion criticism from professional circles to the general public, fostering a 'popular fashion culture.' This research suggests that YouTube can establish itself as a new form of fashion criticism.