[Last modified: October, 24 2024 04:40 PM]
My research question：
1-In what ways does clothing serve as a social language for identity and belonging among students and professionals？
2-How does workplace culture influence the evolution of personal style and fashion choices after transitioning from an academic to a professional setting？
Positionality and Reflexivity：
As a student on the Anthropology Fashion programme, my research topic not only gives me an academic interest in the cultural significance of clothing, but is also closely related to my own personal perception of fashion as a means of self-expression. My own life experiences, identity and perceptions of fashion have directly influenced how I understand the ‘language of clothing’ and the messages it conveys in different social situations. At the same time, I am also curious about how others demonstrate their identity through what they wear, especially in environments where it is accepted that professionalism should take precedence over personal expression. My personal experience of transitioning from school to the workplace also influenced the questions I asked in the interviews. For example, I myself have felt the tension between maintaining my personal style and adapting to the norms of the workplace, so I asked the interviewees if they felt the need to change what they wore when they entered the workplace. This question reflected my concern about how to balance individuality with social expectations.
In conducting the interviews, I also realised that the status of being a student may have influenced the respondents’ answers. My peers who, like me, are in the transition from school to the workplace may be more willing to discuss their views on fashion and workplace dress code with me. Because we have similar experiences, this would make the dialogue more open and communicative. However, it may also skew the answers I get towards ideas that match my personal experiences and thoughts. For example, I found that I would prefer answers from respondents who stuck to their individuality rather than fully conforming to the rules of workplace dress code, because such ideas fit better with my own values. This preference may have unknowingly influenced my interpretation of the interview results, so it reminded me of the importance of maintaining a reflective attitude and avoiding letting my own biases influence the research.
My personal experiences also influenced the details I saw and what I recorded when observing both school and office settings. I am familiar with both environments and understand their respective cultural norms, plus I have a background in fashion studies, so I may be more aware of how people communicate status and identity through clothing. However, as someone who hasn’t really entered the workplace full-time, I may miss some of the more subtle aspects of workplace dress culture when I observe it, especially in industries like finance or law, which have more stringent dress codes. As such, my observations reflect my knowledge of the academic environment and are limited by my relative inexperience of certain professional environments, which may influence how I interpret the significance of clothing in these various settings.
Overall, my identity as a student, fashion enthusiast and researcher has deeply influenced my approach to this research. I am interested in the interplay between personality and societal expectations, which directly influenced the way I asked questions and analysed the data. Being aware of my own biases and experiences helped me to remain reflective throughout the research process and allowed me to more objectively assess how my identity has influenced my understanding of the ‘language of clothing’ in different contexts.