Dress: Private and Secret Self-Expression

Abstract

This study investigated dress used to communicate private and secret aspects of the self according to Eicher's framework (1981, 1982). Eicher stated that individuals dress for fun while expressing the private self and for fantasy while expressing the secret self. A "Dressing for Fun and Fantasy" questionnaire was developed to determine if individuals who regularly dress in costume use dress to communicate the private and/or secret self and if this use varies by sex, age or income. Two hundred and eighteen individuals who dress in costume were surveyed; 190 surveys were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed using principal components factor analysis, MANOVA and stepdown univariate analysis of variance. Of the eleven dependent variables tested, two were significant: sexual fantasies and childhood memories of dress. Findings indicate women have more sexual fantasies about dress and more childhood memories of dress than men. Recommendations are made to expand Eicher's framework by adding public and private self components to dressing for fantasy.