upcoming

SF BIG BRAIN : lecture series : Clothing The Self: The Meaning Behind What We Wear

Access the presentation from the Nov 6 Sold Out Talk

Call for Participants

Clothing The Self (Study II):

Identity Reconstruction and Ontological Security When Primary Material Resources Are Compromised

This experimental qualitative study investigates how individuals navigate identity and ontological security when one of their primary material resources for identity work—their personal wardrobe—is temporarily removed. Building on findings from "Clothing The Self" (Study I), which revealed that daily dressing rituals provide ontological security and that clothing serves as a "second skin" for identity expression, this follow-up study tests the hypothesis that the ritual of dressing, rather than the specific material content of one's wardrobe, is the primary mechanism for maintaining ontological security and identity coherence.

Participants will exchange complete wardrobes with unknown partners for 4 consecutive days, documenting their experiences through daily journaling and two 30-minute interviews (pre- and post-exchange). This design allows us to observe how individuals reconstruct identity security when forced to perform their daily dressing ritual with unfamiliar material resources that may not align with their values, aesthetics, or embodied sense of self.

We need more participants, so please email avasquez14@usfca.edu. This study contributes to knowledge of identity within the field of sociology, and will hopefully help us in providing implications for sustainable fashion as a social- economic- and environmental movement. 

Deadline Dec 31