You Can Look but You Cannot Touch: Male Behaviors Observed in Lingerie Stores

Abstract

Cultural theorists (e.g., Jantzen, Ostergaard, & Sucena Vieira, 2006) suggest that lingerie has shifted from being solely worn for the pleasure of men to being a way for women to claim their feminine identities. Due to these new feminine motivations, the role men play when they are with female companions who are shopping for lingerie is unclear. We argue the ambiguity of gender roles, as related to shopping for an item that represents both sexual attraction and feminine empowerment, may lead men to an approach-avoidance conflict. Observations were made of heterosexual couples shopping in either female clothing stores or lingerie stores. Male behaviors were compared for the two conditions, and significant differences were documented. Compared to clothing stores, men in lingerie stores were less likely to handle sexually provocative items but displayed visual interest, suggesting they desired to approach the merchandise (approach motivation) but refrained from engaging in physical contact (avoidance motivation). We argue that men’s behavior in lingerie stores represents classical approach-avoidance behavior.