Research on the Reconstruction of Gender Identity Affected by Fashion Consumption on Social Media

Abstract

As the wider filter creates more possible room for clothing elements presented on social media, users are exposed to clothing content that is fashionable but not to their liking as well. Through the combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, this paper discusses the perception and behavior of gender identity in the consumption process in the context of social media, especially focusing on clothing and gender identity. This paper finds that the public's sense of gender identity and actual performative behavior are impacted, and part of them even become related content producers through the process of identification in media consumption and the low-cost pleasure deriving from it. During these processes, the public's clothing taste becomes more unisex and genderless, implying that the possibility space of their aesthetic linked gender and perception of gender identity has been broadened via social media, and the relationship between clothing and identity performance related to gender has been clarified as well. This paper will be beneficial to further explore the relationship between gender, clothing and media in the field of gender studies, and will also provide a reference for fashion consumption in the new media era.