The impact of media exposure on fashion consciousness: A qualitative study

Abstract

This study explored the impact of media exposure on fashion consciousness among youth, using a qualitative approach. Nine Malaysian Chinese male and female interviewees aged 21–25 were recruited with purposive and snowball sampling for data collection. How fashion consciousness is propelled by media exposure was sought via in-depth open-ended questions drawing upon the theories of self-discrepancy and social cognition. Six themes were identified after the coding and recoding processes. It was found that media exposure acted as a crucial hub in information acquisition on latest trends. The participants obtained their ideal images of self via media and either adapted it to their own styles, or retained their own styles.