Adolescent consumption: Building the identity of brazilian young women

Abstract

This study aims to understand the construction of consumption identity of Brazilian teenage girls, aged between 12 to 17years, considering the influence of some moderating factors.Studies on consumer culture are gaining relevance, because social groups, such as female adolescents, present different references about making choices and evaluating products. Theory shows aspects of collective identity and refers to consumer culture using the precepts of Consumer Culture Theory - CCT, highlighted by Arnould & Thompson (2005), among others scholars. Therefore, in order to determine influential factors, this qualitative research used Focus Groups method in a sample of 33 respondents from diverse social classes, all students of elementary and secondary education, in 13 Brazilian states, aged between 12 to 17 years. The analysis of the speeches, made by Discourse Analysis, identified similarities between the proposed theory and the empirical data, identifying consumer particularities through influencers, such as family, social class, media, peers and educational institutions. Thus, this study establishes a diagnosis on the adolescents’ consumer culture, reflecting on the influences of purchase behavior.