Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
This Article
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chattaraman, V.
Right arrow Articles by Rudd, N. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Preferences for Aesthetic Attributes in Clothing as a Function of Body Image, Body Cathexis and Body Size

Veena Chattaraman

Department of Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University, 262 Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210

Nancy Ann Rudd

Department of Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University, 262 Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210

This study examines the relationship between physical and psychosocial attributes of the body, and aesthetic attribute preferences in clothing. Building upon a clothing comfort model, the purpose is to determine whether women's aesthetic response to apparel is related to their body size, body cathexis and body image and if so, to provide insight into underlying patterns of similarity in their response. An Internet survey was administered to a random sample of 199 female undergraduate students. The results indicated that body image and body cathexis had a negative linear relationship with aesthetic preference in styling, implying that lower body image and body cathexis correlate with preference for greater body coverage through clothing and vice versa. Body size showed a positive linear association with styling preferences, implying that increase in body size correlates with preference for greater body coverage in clothing and vice versa. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications are discussed.

Key Words: Aesthetics • Body Cathexis • Body Image • Body Size • Clothing Comfort

Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 24, No. 1, 46-61 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0887302X0602400104
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?