Development of fashion therapy programs for improving body image and self-esteem

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a fashion therapy program for improving body image and self-esteem among male workers. Accordingly, the demand for fashion therapy programs was examined by conducting a literature review, survey, and in-depth interviews with men working in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas. The results are summarized as follows. The fashion therapy program followed a framework of “introduction-development-final” and was 60 minutes in length, for four sessions (one per week). The contents of the program consisted of a study of the participants’ appearance and any concerns they had about their body in Session 1. In Session 2, differences in image perception were examined according to color coding of menswear and personal color. Session 3 comprised understanding what styling is required to supplement men’s body shape and what style is suitable for each participant. The content of Session 4 determined how to build social performance or positive image using nonverbal elements. Overall, this study has great significance in that it has developed a study on fashion therapy program originally applied for psychological treatment with women that has been adapted as a program to help improve positive emotions and social competitiveness of male workers in an office environment.