Fashion

Black women, Brazilian butt lifts and body image: A qualitative study on the role social media play in promoting the thick ideal
Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery is defined by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery as ‘a specialized fat transfer procedure that augments the size and shape of the buttocks without implants’. While members of all ethnic and racial groups elect to get cosmetic surgery BBLs are especially popular among Black women. Unlike the Eurocentric beauty standard to be as thin as possible Black women strive for an in-between weight otherwise known as the thick ideal. This body ideal is based on the Mammy and Jezebel stereotypes of Black women and can cause women with excess or too little curves to feel a sense of inferiority or a lack of racial acceptance. Many prominent Black celebrities and influencers have either had encouraged or drawn attention to BBLs through various mass media channels including social media. Thus this research aimed to understand the trend towards buttock augmentation and body concerns among Black women and examine if social media play a role in sharing information and opinions regarding the procedure within the Black community. The research was guided by two questions: (1) what discussions are Black women having about BBLs on social media? (2) Do conversations about BBLs impact Black women’s body image and body satisfaction? To explore the purpose videos on TikTok were examined. TikTok a video-focused social networking platform was chosen due to its rising popularity focus on appearance-based content and its emphasis on collaboration and conversation. The results fell under two themes: (1) motivations for having a BBL and (2) resistance against having a BBL. The themes were consistent with previous research done on the relationship between internet use and body image concerns previous research conducted on the impact of the thick ideal on Black women’s body image and sociocultural theories of self-objectification social comparison and body surveillance.

Service quality expectations of international fashion apparel brands in India: Satisfaction loyalty and the mediating role of culture
Service quality is an important determinant of customer brand experience customer satisfaction and customer loyalty with cross-cultural differences leading to varied expectations of service from consumers. Our research aims to understand the influence of the service quality expectations and cultural factors that influence customer satisfaction and loyalty and the moderating role of cultural values on the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty of international fashion apparel brand purchasing of young consumers in India. Data collected across 142 young consumers in India via questionnaire are analysed using PLS_SEM structural modelling. The findings indicate that the service quality parameter tangibility has a significantly positive relationship with customer satisfaction while both reliability and formality positively influence customer loyalty. The cultural value self-transcendence depicts a significant positive relationship with customer loyalty while the moderating effect of conservation on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is also significantly positive validating the role of cultural values as both a predictor and moderator of customer purchase motivation.

When East meets West: The politicization of kei pou (qipao) or cheongsam in Hong Kong
Kei pou (qipao in Mandarin) or cheongsam the oft-interchangeable style of dress has been labelled as the ‘Chinese national dress’ due to western media. However the perception originally stems from colonial mindset lacking understanding to the diverse Chinese diaspora. This article argues not only is kei pou or cheongsam the representation of Hong Kong’s local culture but also the symbolism of Hongkonger’s cultural identity. Through object-based research the article engages with a rare red quilted kei pou purchased in Hong Kong in the 1980s. The dress illustrates the true Oriental beauty with the symbolism of elegance and sophistication of Hong Kong women from an East Asian perspective. The article clarifies the etymological confusion between kei pou and cheongsam through their stylistic taxonomy and historical development and examines the cultural-political connotations of these two styles of dress and their semiotics in constructing the identity of Hongkongers. Consequently the research proposes the interconnected relationship between the city and the dress in which exists not only within the contexts of marginalized culture in the Eurocentric world but also within the authoritarian-ruled China.

Anti-sacred fashion: The use of profane performative costumes in the black metal music and performances of Nergal and Behemoth
This article examines the ways in which fashion and costume represent and communicate distinctive anti-authority sentiments and ideological positions and is based on a case study of the Polish black metal artist Adam Darski otherwise known as Nergal. The article critically explores the ways in which costumes worn by Nergal are confrontational in terms of their subversion of religious garments adornments and symbols as part of an artistic and political strategy designed to communicate profane stances and critiques in the context of the Catholic church in Poland. The article investigates the communicative nature of costume and fashion focusing on popular music and the genre of heavy metal and relates this analysis to the sociology of Emile Durkheim and Marcel Mauss in terms of their conceptions of the sacred and the profane and ritual practice. In this way Nergal uses the aesthetic of black metal to design and communicate a distinctive oppositional position in which the use of profane fashion and costume is a central and crucial factor.