• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.488-504
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• 2021

This article examined the historical evolution of changes in the democratization of fashion, identified its characteristics, and defined 'fashionocracy - fashion democracy'- by analyzing various phenomena in the global fashion industry. This research will expand the field of fashion research and spark academic debates about fashion democracy. The democratization of fashion can be summarized in five periods; birth, introduction, early growth, growth, and maturity. The characteristics of the democratization of fashion include individual autonomy, accessibility that many people can access and enjoy, and diversity. According to the principles of democracy- "of the people, for the people, by the people" - which are based on freedom and equality, we have achieved fashion of the people and for the people so far. Furthermore, social media has shifted the balance of power to influencers and bloggers; as such, the masses who have consumed and enjoyed fashion democratization are becoming producers and promoters by actively participating in the process of making fashion, creating a new era of fashion democracy (fashionocracy): - by the people. Ultimately, fashionocracy consists of the '6P's' ; people (active and productive consumers), planet (society and environmental sustainability), products (genderless, ageless, inclusive), price (reasonable), place (multi-channel distribution, virtual spaces), and promotion (horizontal).

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.406-421
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• 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the obligatory wearing of masks has led to increased consumer demand and the diversification of mask design. Accordingly, it is necessary to understand the inner meaning and characteristics of masks in the pandemic situation. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the characteristics of fashionable masks and their new cultural meaning under the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is based on literature review and empirical research. Drawing on an investigation of the historical evolution of masks and their transition under the pandemic (exhibiting differences in mask culture among countries and regions), this study analyzed 54 distinctive fashion masks designed by fashion brands and influencers that appeared from January 2020 to January 2021. The characteristics of fashion masks identified under the influence of the pandemic are as follows: Message delivery on political issues and human rights; psychological defense and expression of individuality; and conspicuous display via luxurious materials and luxury brand logos; moreover, the design of the mask uses the same material, color, pattern, decoration, and other methods as clothing to achieve the overall style. Over the course of the pandemic (and even in post-pandemic lifestyle), fashion masks are becoming more diversified conveying new social and cultural meanings.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.557-567
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• 2023

The rapidly evolving social platform marketing landscape has led businesses to increasingly rely on social platform influencers for brand and service promotion. Despite growing interest in these influencers, there remains a dearth of empirical research examining the impact of their characteristics on consumer attachment and brand loyalty. This study, therefore, investigates the relationships between social platform influencer characteristics, consumer attachment, and brand loyalty. An online survey targeting Chinese consumers was conducted, and a total of 360 responses were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software. The findings reveal that among the various social platform influencer characteristics, reliability, professionalism, and intimacy significantly influence consumer attachment. Furthermore, it was confirmed that higher attachment to a social platform influencer leads to increased brand loyalty.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.198-207
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• 2024

As men's interest in grooming increases, YouTube videos teaching men about natural makeup that could help them look more presentable are becoming popular. An increasing amount of beauty content on YouTube now targets men. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the features of male-targeted beauty videos with the highest number of views and likes in order to help beauty influencers understand what subscribers want and apply effective marketing strategies. The research method set criteria for YouTuber characteristics, editing elements, and content through prior research, and analyzed through the YouTube website. The video upload date range was set from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2024. The search keywords "male beauty YouTuber" and "male makeup" were used to find the 10 most viewed videos. The results showed that technical terms, standard words, and loanwords were generally used, and the age group was in their 30s, and the proportion of famous experts was high. The video duration of 10-15 minutes was most common, and the ratio of sound effects, background music, and subtitles was high. Makeup tips and product reviews or recommendations was the most common type of content. Especially, demonstrations of make-up application and product reviews had higher number of views. The findings of this study could provide new ideas and references to YouTubers who aspire to specialize in male beauty content, and help them produce videos that sufficiently satisfy the needs and desires of subscribers.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1093-1106
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• 2021

This study attempted to investigate the influence of a beauty influencer's characteristics on makeup behavior and color cosmetics purchase intention against young female consumers in their 20-30s, who are a primary target for beauty influencer marketing. It aimed to provide basic data which are helpful in promoting marketing and expanding markets for color cosmetics through beauty influencers. For this, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Among a total of 563 questionnaires distributed across Seoul and capital region, 531 copies were used for final analysis, and the results found the followings: In terms of age, factors affecting beauty influencers' characteristics differed depending on reliability and expertise. Specifically, reliability and communicative competence had a positive effect(+) on all makeup behavior while expertise revealed a positive influence on base makeup only. In color cosmetics purchase intention, a positive effect was observed in reliability, communicative competence and attractiveness. In particular, reliability showed the largest influence. Therefore, there should be continued efforts to maintain a long-term relationship with consumers through communication based on beauty influencers' characteristics and by delivering more diverse makeup and color cosmetics-related information in an open and honest fashion.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine the research trend on social media influencers in Korea. To this end, a total of 178 papers on social media influencers were analyzed from 2009 to 2021 among the academic papers registered in the Korean Academic Citation Index. As a result, the early social media influencer research, which was limited to only a few fields such as fashion, beauty, and communication, has expanded to various ones as time passed and achieved quantitative growth. The proportion of empirical studies has been on the rise in recent years, and studies that applied qualitative research methodologies have shown a tendency to decrease. The proportion of research focusing on specific media platforms and influencer types gets lower, although both the characteristics of social media platforms and the attitudes of each influencer are very diverse. This study has academic significance in that it is the first empirical study to investigate the current status of the social media influencer research in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.873-890
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• 2023

This study analyzed users' emotional responses to VI character design through YouTube comments. The researchers applied text-mining to analyze 116,375 comments, focusing on terms related to character design and characteristics of VI. Using the BERT model in sentiment analysis, we classified comments into extremely negative, negative, neutral, positive, or extremely positive sentiments. Next, we conducted a co-occurrence frequency analysis on comments with extremely negative and extremely positive responses to examine the semantic relationships between character design and emotional characteristic terms. We also performed a content analysis of comments about Miquela and Shudu to analyze the perception differences regarding the two character designs. The results indicate that form elements (e.g., voice, face, and skin) and behavioral elements (e.g., speaking, interviewing, and reacting) are vital in eliciting users' emotional responses. Notably, in the negative responses, users focused on the humanization aspect of voice and the authenticity aspect of behavior in speaking, interviewing, and reacting. Furthermore, we found differences in the character design elements and characteristics that users expect based on the VI's field of activity. As a result, this study suggests applications to character design to accommodate these variations.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.649-664
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• 2018

With the rapid growth of the Chinese cosmetics market and the continuous introduction of new products into the market, beauty videos generated by other consumers, that are by beauty vloggers, have become a major source of information for cosmetics consumers. With the popularity of beauty vlogs in China, beauty vloggers have become influencers who affect consumers' information processing and attitude development regarding cosmetic products and beauty routines. The current study aims to explore the characteristics of beauty vloggers that affect consumers' attitudes toward both the beauty vlogs and the products featured in those vlogs. Based on parasocial interaction theory, the study examines whether perceived characteristics of beauty vloggers influence consumers' perceived parasocial interaction, which in turn influences their attitudes. The study employs an online survey, which was administered to female consumers in China. Data from a total of 372 responses was used for analysis. Findings show that the perceived similarities to and perceived trustworthiness of vloggers have a significant impact on parasocial interactions, which influences consumer attitudes toward both the vlogs and the products shown in them. Perceived reliability and perceived attractiveness are shown to have a positive impact on consumer attitudes toward vlogs. Perceived expertise, attractiveness, similarity, and trustworthiness have all been shown to affect product attitudes. These results show that while beauty vlogs have a significant impact on consumers' decision-making processes, the perceived characteristics of beauty vloggers themselves are important to consumers in the development of their attitudes toward both vlogs and products.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.127-137
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• 2021

YouTube beauty content channels that utilize various topics and formats are undergoing quantitative and qualitative expansion. This study selected the top five channels represeting major domestic and foreign beauty brands, fashion magazines and beauty influencers through Statista and conducted a case study focusing on them. It will connect to a strategy for increasing beauty-related content by comparing content characteristics according to content producers. Also, it will help to reveal what types of content will be appealing more attractive to consumer. The result has shown that the growth of YouTube platforms has transformed passive consumers into new communicators by diversifying sources of product information. In addition, as content of different type was consumed by different producers, producer-oriented content was produced rather than objective journalistic gaze. Therefore, it was found that the delivery of 'brand values' that can strengthen the relationship between consumers and brands along with various entertainment elements that are effective for millennial in the future.