Multifaceted Appearance Management as Cultural Practice


  •  Yoo Kwon    
  •  Kyoung-Nan Kwon    

Abstract

Appearance management is a self-identification process that extends beyond mere appearance enhancement activities. In this study, we conceptualized multifaceted appearance management as a cultural practice imbued with a variety of meanings and goals. We employed mixed methods. The quantitative study was to objectify and explain a macro trend by analyzing large-scale data collected from a representative sample and revealed that multifaceted appearance management is a function of cultural capital. The qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of how individual actions and meanings that occur during appearance management create social distinction by analyzing in-depth interviews and demonstrated how the complexity and diversity of meanings reflect the self-identification process in appearance consumption. Our findings revealed that a tendency toward multifaceted appearance management is related to contextual self-presentation drawing upon cultural capital and that cultural capital is manifested by the process in which consumption becomes integrated into self-identification.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
  • ISSN(Print): 1918-7173
  • ISSN(Online): 1918-7181
  • Started: 2009
  • Frequency: quarterly

Journal Metrics

  • Google-based Impact Factor (2021): 0.85
  • h-index (December 2021): 35
  • i10-index (December 2021): 262
  • h5-index (December 2021): 18  
  • h5-median(December 2021): 24

( The data was calculated based on Google Scholar Citations. Click Here to Learn More. )

Contact