• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.50
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• pp.97-118
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• 2000

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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.6 s.165
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• pp.923-932
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• 2007

This research examines current viewpoints on modesty and immodesty in dress from a cross-cultural perspective. The purposes of this study was to explore the concept of modesty and to find out sub-variables of modesty, and the similarities and differences of modesty between two cultures. This qualitative interview study of 58 female college students in America and 36 in Korea examines attitudes about modesty. The data collection was performed in America and Korea simultaneously in Feb. 2004. According to the results of this study, the concept of modesty had 4 sub-variables such as covering up, appropriateness, drawing attention from others, and conservativeness. Both American and Korean students mentioned that time and place are closely related with modesty and that modesty was related with gender. Also cultural differences were existed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.918-927
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• 2008

The purpose of this research was to identify the dimensions of modesty and immodesty in dress and to examine the differences in female college students' perceptions, in various cultures, of modest and immodest clothes. The researchers selected South Korea and the United States for the cross-cultural comparison study because these two countries show distinctive cultural characteristics. This study was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative methods. According to the result of the preliminary study, 47 questions were developed. The 4 Likert type scales used in the questionnaire were written in both English and Korean. Pretests were performed simultaneously in both countries. 174 American and 208 Korean students completed the questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS. According to the results of factor analysis, there were 4 factors identified for the modesty-immodesty concept, including 'Conservativeness', 'Body exposure', 'Social appropriateness', and 'Attracting attention from others'. Students answered that they liked to wear conservative and socially appropriate dress in both cultures and that they did not like to wear clothing which draws a great deal of attention to them. Cultural differences were also identified. Based on the results, American students dressed more conservatively than Korean students, while Korean students preferred to wear revealing dress. American students were more conservative and preferred modest clothing. Also Korean students were more open about their body exposure and had immodest clothing attitudes.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.60-75
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• 2002

The purpose of this research is to understand the gender identity expressed in Madonna music video texts and performances. Madonna has reconstructed the fluid identities through the variations of body, images, costumes, and attitudes . The results are as fellows; ① Her punky sexuality is to be seen the flash trash look, kitsch fashion, which reconstructs a good/bad taste, modesty/immodesty, the relations of under/outer wear using bawdy sexuality through her early Virgin tour. ② Her Heterosexuality is to be seen the glamourous look, traditional images of women, which represents the passive feminity of patriarch. ③ Her sadomasochism sexuality is to be seen the bondage look of dominatrix image, which deconstructs sexual taboos; represents sexual power. ④ Her bisexuality is to be seen androgynous look, the 3rd species look using masculinity/feminity signifier, which deconstructs the stereotypes of gender roles. ⑤ Her homosexuality is to be seen the fetish fashion by drag and lesbian, which deconstructs the dichotomy of normality/perversion; opens a possibility of women subjectivity of sexual desires.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively re-interpret the garments that emphasize a phallus such as codpiece throughout history. Perspective to understand the codpiece is extremely limited in most studies, thus it could be refocused in historical perspectives, formative point of views, and from a psychological point of view from various angles. A literature study of research methods and case studies were combined in order to investigate the emphasis of phallus' appearing in costumes. The following results were obtained. First of all, in length, the form of emphasizing a phallus tended to be distorted as it was protruding. Secondly, in area and volume, the forms of the phallus were mostly exaggerated or expanded. For the last, it drew strong attention with particular detail to the phallus, such as ribbons and swordbelts. The symbolic meaning of various garments with which emphasized a phallus has changed in social context through history. Doubtlessly, it represents patriarchal ideology. Also, it expresses dramatic eroticism due to the theory of immodesty. However, the meaning of it becomes more decentralized through reinterpretation of ideal male suits for modern society and turns into a representational tool of sub-culture. In addition, it could broaden out the new way of fashion expression.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.189-196
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• 2002

The purpose of this study were to elicit the attitudes toward underwear, to compare the difference according to the demographic variables, and to find the relationship between the attitudes toward underwear and social-psychological characteristics of university female students in Cheongju city. The questionnaires were to measure the attitudes toward underwear, the demographic information, and social-psychological characteristics. As statistical analysis, frequencies, mean, t-test, F-test, factor analysis, and correlation were used. The results were as follows: 1) The female students regarded tactile sensation of underwear fabrics as the important element in their attitude toward underwear, while they showed a little interest about gorgeous underwear style. 2) The freshman students have strongly. fixed ideas about the under wear, the other(sophomore, junior, senior) students showed more interest in decorative and fashionable aspects of underwear. 3) The attitudes toward underwear were classifies into six factors; intension about high quality, decorative design, stereotype, immodesty, style and comfort. 4) There were partially significant differences according to demographic variables in the attitudes toward underwear. 5) Also, there were significant correlations between the social-psychological characteristics and the attitudes toward underwear.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1261-1274
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• 1997

Contemporary costume by the 'Deconstruction' from the outside has shown disclosure, destruction, poverty and analysis. The conclusion of this thesis as follows, 1. The Deconstruction of disclosure by infra disclosed the underwear and inner structure outside, which has deconstructed a fixed idea i.e.'underwear must be in outwear', modesty versus immodesty and disclosure versus concealment. 2. The Deconstruction of destruction originated in punk look has rejected traditional manners and utility, at the same time, it has shown the ambivalence i.e. completeness versus incompleteness, making versus destructing by slashes, rips, fringes. 3. The Deconstruction of poverty has appeared as French avangarde mode, little black dress by Chanel, second hand style by hippy, blue jean, granny look, especially Rei Kawakubo's poor look influenced by Zen Aesthetics and post punk. It has looked like old and worn out dress by doing patchwork, dye, decolor, rip, fray, which has shown the decentring by concealing the body than disclosing, rejecting snobbery. 4. The Deconstruction of analysis, seemingly partial and patched is a violation only of our expectation of clothing's unbroken entity though it has looked like a fragment. The completeness and coherence of it is made more evident by its breach, void, and bond like a poetic language. As the result, disclosed, destructed, poor, and analytical costumes has expressed as an escape from the appearance which traditional aesthetic concept had pursued.