The First Four-wheeled Status Symbol: Pram Consumption as a Vehicle for the Construction of Motherhood Identity

Thomsen, Thyra Uth; Sørensen, Elin Brandi

doi:10.1362/026725706778935619

Cited by 90 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Bailey, 1999;Dimitrovsky et al, 1998;Millward, 2006). They seek to buy products which are fit for purpose, confirm their mothering competences and which signal being a "good mother" to others (Black, 2009;Prothero, 2002;Thomsen and Sørensen, 2006). Thus, consumption becomes a site to negotiate and display motherhood in contemporary society (see Vincent, 2010;VOICE, 2010).…”

Section: The Transition To Motherhood and Ethical Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring and Conflicted: Mothers’ Ethical Judgments about Consumption

et al. 2014

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Section: The Transition To Motherhood and Ethical Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring and Conflicted: Mothers’ Ethical Judgments about Consumption

et al. 2014

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“…First, Cody and Lawlor (2011) discuss consumption as 'transgressive'. Liminars are prevented from using consumption to build identity because of their lack of knowledge (Thomsen and Sorensen, 2006). Second, they consider the 'private passions' of teenagers: consumption that is embedded in the preliminal state and inhibits liminars' transition (Carrigan and Szmigin, 2004).…”

Section: Consumption During Liminalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Transitions are particularly appealing periods of study for interpretive consumer researchers, as times of behavioural change they encompass unique consumption behaviours and meanings (Carrigan and Szmigin, 2004). New motherhood is considered an important transition within a woman's lifecourse (The Voice Group, 2010a and 2010b; Thomsen and Sorensen, 2006;Prothero, 2002). The consumption of service systems is increasingly argued to define the realities in consumers' day-to-day lives and shape their social structures (Rosenbaum et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The consumption of service systems is increasingly argued to define the realities in consumers' day-to-day lives and shape their social structures (Rosenbaum et al, 2011). Yet while implicitly recognising the breadth of consumer culture most extant motherhood transition studies focus empirical discussions upon consumer goods (Thomsen and Sorensen, 2006). Understanding the impact of services within major life transition is important because they offer a distinct perspective upon the transitional experience.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Liminal mothers’ negotiation of conflicting service consumption

Tonner

2015

Journal of Marketing Management

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Dr Andrea Tonner is a lecturer within the Marketing Department of the University of Strathclyde. With a background as a marketing practitioner within blue-chip FMCG organisations her research is situated within Consumer Culture Theory and focusses upon issues of consumption and identity. She has primarily explored this in a food context and this was the context for her PhD thesis. Andrea has recently researched how pregnant women and mew mothers construct identity and attain belonging through service consumption. 2Liminal mothers' negotiation of conflicting service consumption. AbstractPregnancy is a significant period of transition, transforming 'women' into 'mothers'. The mid or liminal phase of transition is particularly ripe for consumer researchers. Transformative services research (TSR) considers that services may deliver objective wellbeing outcomes (e.g. consumer health). This paper extends TSR into liminality and considers that services may also encompass hedonic (mood, satisfaction and happiness) and eudiamonic (mastery, autonomy, positive relations, and self-acceptance) dimensions. The paper unpacks women's service experiences to enrich and expand understanding of positive and negative consumption meanings. It identifies that unanticipated outcomes emerge as a feature of transformative services. It demonstrates that services situates new mothers at the centre of a multiplicity of consumption. This may both overwhelm and act as transitional resource developing mothers as postmodern bricoleurs.

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“…It is our contention that academic research in marketing and consumer research has contributed to the circulation of the 'heterosexual imaginary'. This is evident in the burgeoning body of work exploring (consumption) experiences of contemporary married women (Thompson et al 1990), fathers Eräranta and Moisander 2011;Coskuner-Balli and Thompson 2012); working parents (Thompson 1996), single parents (Harrison et al 2012) and mothers (Houston 2004;Carrigan and Szmigin 2010;Thomsen and SØrensen 2010; The Voice Group 2010). Heterosexuality is often celebrated through gift-giving rituals (Ingraham 1996;Sherry 1983) that valorise familial and romantic exchange of love (Belk and Coon 1993), dating experiences (Belk and Coon 1990), Valentine's Day (Otnes et al 1994), Thanksgiving (Wallendoft andArnould 1991) and Christmas (Fischer and Arnold 1990).…”

Section: The Abjection Of Singles: Paternal Law and Compulsory Heteromentioning

confidence: 99%

The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain

Lai

Lim

Higgins

2015

Journal of Marketing Management

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This paper explores the gendered experience of singleness in Britain through a theoretical and empirical understanding of the 'abject'. Drawing on the writings of Judith Butler, we argue that 'singleness' is culturally pathologised as an 'abject other', a liminal state which renders the legitimation of the 'single subject' unintelligible. Through 14 active interviews withBritish singles, we demonstrate how our participants negotiate their marginal status vis-à-vis the marketplace and the broader society that continue to uphold heterosexual partnership as a normative form of intimacy. Our data uncovers persistent and powerful stereotypes of how singles ought to organize their lives and conform both to social, as well as market-driven, pressures. We therefore highlight research gaps in the experience of singleness and critique the heteronormative framework that remains dominant, yet concealed, in gender research. Summary Statement of ContributionThis paper advances a theoretical and empirical understanding of the neglected experience of singleness and how singles understand and negotiate their gendered subjectivities in a coupleoriented marketplace. Theoretically, we have enhanced understanding of how the concept of 'abjection' can be developed to expose the 'naturalisation' of heterosexual relationships as a legitimate practice. We argue that the marketplace remains politically vested in the institution of heteronormativity. Our empirical study contributes to the understanding of how the circulation of the heterosexual imaginary in the marketplace shapes the experience of singleness. Most notably, our findings reveal that the experience of singleness is structured along gendered lines: a statein which single women are 'visibly' subjected to the disciplinary power that produces their 'abject' status. While single men have seemingly averted the disciplinary gaze, on the other hand, we also show that their singleness remains tenuously tethered to the heteronormative framework.

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The First Four-wheeled Status Symbol: Pram Consumption as a Vehicle for the Construction of Motherhood Identity

Cited by 90 publications

References 17 publications

Caring and Conflicted: Mothers’ Ethical Judgments about Consumption

Caring and Conflicted: Mothers’ Ethical Judgments about Consumption

Liminal mothers’ negotiation of conflicting service consumption

The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain

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