Understanding Taiwanese Female Baby Boomers through their Perceptions of Clothing and Appearance

Abstract

The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to provide insights and in-depth information regarding the impact of attitudes of female baby boomers in Taiwan toward aging through clothing, and (2) to understand how female baby boomers in Taiwan behave in different contexts in regard to clothing choice, usage and consumption. In order to understand how baby boomers think, feel and behave during the process of aging, clothing was selected as a vehicle to illuminate the complex relationships among various attributes-physiological and psychological change, dress and appearance, body image, lifestyle, and social Osmud Rahman and Wan-Tien Chang 54 activities. The qualitative research method was used to collect data from 14 mature female consumers ranging in age from 50 to 59 years. According to our findings, social activities and appropriate clothing styles can provide aging consumers self-assurance/-gratification as well as a healthy state of mind and spirit. It is evident that many Taiwanese baby boomers were concerned with modesty, age appropriateness, and physical and psychological comfort when it comes to apparel consumption. Although their bodies transformed with age, most of our informants expressed an acceptance and sense of comfort with their physical change, and they felt "young-at-heart"; therefore, chronological age is not a good indicator of consumer attitudes towards the evolving stages of life.

Experiential value and shopping well‐being of aging consumers

“…Specifically, they cited enjoyment through window‐shopping, learning new trends, people‐watching, and as a way to break out of the daily routine and stay active. This finding is in line with prior studies (see, for instance, Rahman & Chang, 2018; Wray & Hodges, 2008) that indicate today’s older people are more interested in staying current and active as compared to older people in the past. As one informant claimed:

Well, I love shopping.

…”

“…Specifically, they cited enjoyment through window-shopping, learning new trends, people-watching, and as a way to break out of the daily routine and stay active. This finding is in line with prior studies (see, for instance, Rahman & Chang, 2018;Wray & Hodges, 2008) […] I even prefer sometimes, this stuff is weird but it's not weird, I like to shop on a Saturday when everybody else is out. (P13)…”

Young Chinese Consumers’ Choice between Product-Related and Sustainable Cues—The Effects of Gender Differences and Consumer Innovativeness

“…Although gender differences can provide useful information to fashion practitioners and marketers on consumer profiling, gender alone is insufficient to fully elucidate the young consumers' buying motives in China. As previous research [83][84][85] has suggested, demographics alone cannot provide enough information about consumers. This may mean that external, proxy indicators of demographics such as age, may have less explanatory power in regards to clothing choice.…”

The middle-aged and older Chinese adults’ health using actigraphy in Taiwan (MOCHA-T): protocol for a multidimensional dataset of health and lifestyle

“…There have been found that self-reported health status [ 35 ], obesity [ 41 ], and health determinants [ 42 ] differ among the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X. In contrast, research on Baby Boomers and Gen Xers in Taiwan is relatively limited, focusing almost exclusively on retirement [ 43 ] and experiences, preferences, and needs for specific services and products [ 44 – 46 ]. There is a gap in examining the generational differences in health, lifestyles, and their correlates between the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X of Chinese adults in Taiwan.…”