Youth Style: Articulating cultural anxiety |
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| Authors: | Janet Hethorn Susan Kaiser |
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| Institution: | 1. Teaches apparel design in the Department of Consumer Studies , University of Delaware;2. Teaches in the Division of Textiles and Clothing and the Women and Gender Studies Program , University of California , Davis |
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| Abstract: | In their everyday efforts to put together how they “look,” adolescents visually capture and articulate complex issues that society finds difficult to express verbally. In this paper we explore these “looks” as one example of youth appearance style and as a reflection of, and an impetus for, cultural anxieties. In doing so we draw on a series of multi‐method field studies conducted over the last ten years. A key feature of these studies has been the involvement of young people themselves as key informants and co‐investigators. Data from these studies can help clarify relationships between youth appearance style and cultural themes of sexuality and violence. |
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