Hip children, good mothers – children’s clothing as capital investment?

Åberg, Erica; Huvila, Jarna

doi:10.1108/yc-06-2018-00816

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Mothers can express their aesthetic tastes via children’s fashion photos on social media, but investments in a child’s appearance, such as on the purchase of branded clothing, also carry meanings that are intertwined with cultural expectations and norms of good motherhood (Andersen et al , 2007; Brusdal and Frønes, 2013; Huopalainen and Satama, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). Mothers’ purchases of children’s clothing can be considered identity work, as illustrated in Belk’s (1988) theory of the extended self.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has approached the purchase of children’s clothing mainly from the perspective of middle-class mothers (Andersen et al , 2007; Huopalainen and Satama, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). According to these studies, buying children’s clothing is socially mediated and negotiated: mothers consume to a large extent through their children and are aware of the symbolic meanings and cultural coding that children’s clothing conveys in their peer group.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8-10), we think it is important to extend the scope of consumer research to mothers’ fashion images. Purchasing children’s clothing and investing in children’s appearances have increasingly interested researchers in recent years (Andersen et al , 2007; Huopalainen and Satama, 2020; McNeill and Graham, 2014; Åberg and Huvila, 2019). Moreover, extensive attention is being paid to the use of social media by mothers, including mommy bloggers and mom influencers (Abidin, 2017; Archer, 2019; Dobson and Jay, 2020; Hunter, 2016; Jorge et al , 2022; Lehto, 2021), as well as to the sharenting phenomenon (Ammari et al , 2015; Autenrieth, 2018; Blum-Ross and Livingstone, 2017; Holiday et al , 2020; Steinberg, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mothers’ self-representations and representations of childhood on social media

Kallioharju,

Wilska,

Vänskä

2023

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine mothers’ social media accounts that focus on children’s fashion. The authors probed children’s fashion photo practices as representations of the mothers’ extended self and the kind of childhood representations produced by the social media accounts. They also investigated mothers’ perceptions of children’s privacy when engaging in sharenting – the sharing of information about children or parenting online. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on 16 semi-structured interviews with Finnish mothers who had Instagram accounts focusing on children’s fashion. Findings Children’s fashion photos play a diverse role in mothers’ identity work. The photos can be used to express a mother’s taste and aesthetic skills, to express values, to fit into peer groups and to store memories of oneself and the children. Through the photos, representations of the prevailing Finnish childhood ideals, such as authenticity, naturalness and playfulness, are reproduced. The mothers perceived the children as part of their extended self and justified sharenting with mother- and child-centered arguments. Originality/value Through shedding light on the practices of social media fashion photography, this paper provides insights into how commercialism and social media shape cultural expectations for both motherhood and childhood. The paper contributes to previous research on sharenting, extending it to the context of fashion photography.

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mothers’ self-representations and representations of childhood on social media

Kallioharju,

Wilska,

Vänskä

2023

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“…First, children play an important role in deciding which clothes they have available and are not passive participants when purchasing clothes (Ironico, 2012). Second, while others exert an important influence on children, parents are vitally important in helping their children make clothing decisions (Åberg and Huvila, 2019) and socializing their children (Maccoby, 1992), particularly when it comes to gender norms/stereotyping (Halpern and Perry-Jenkins, 2016). Although this is not true of all parents or children, many parents have differing gender expectations for children that often start at birth.…”

Section: Children’s Clothing and Gender In A Developmental Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boys Go, Girls Go Along: exploring gender and price differences regarding themes present on children’s graphic t-shirts

Lapierre

Ashtaputre

Aubrey

2022

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Purpose Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts targeting boys or girls, in addition to differences for shirts that were higher in cost. Design/methodology/approach This content analysis of children’s t-shirts included 866 child-targeted shirts taken from the online retail portals from 11 clothing retailers in the USA. Shirts were coded for gendered themes on the front torso part of the shirt and included traditional boy themes (e.g. aggression, instrumentality) and girl themes (e.g. compassion, passivity). In addition, the retail prices for each shirt were recorded at the time of data collection. Findings The results demonstrated that children’s graphic t-shirts starkly differentiate between femininity and masculinity based on their target. Boys’ shirts were significantly more likely to feature active themes, whereas girls’ shirts were more likely to focus on social belonging and interpersonal connection. Boys’ shirts were also more likely to display themes linked to dominance/aggression but not compassion. Girls’ shirts were more likely to tout both shyness and attention seeking. Finally, results generally showed that higher priced t-shirts were less likely to feature gender stereotypes than lower-priced t-shirts. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study that has looked at the marketing of children’s clothes in retail environments with a specific focus on gender and gender stereotyping.

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“…Although the Finns previously emphasised their affinity for practicality and modesty, nowadays, they have also started to dress their children in expensive brands (e.g. Åberg & Huvila, 2019). In addition, some members of the younger generation like to distinguish themselves through the consumption of luxurious clothing (Blencowe, 2020).…”

Section: Geographical and Socio-demographical Peculiaritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%