Endlessly Creating Myself: Examining Marketplace Inclusion through the Lived Experience of Black and White Male Millennials

Abstract

This study qualitatively examines the synergetic relationship between identity projects and the marketplace. The sample consisted of 20 men between the ages of 18 and 29 years; 10 self-identified as black, and 10 self-identified as white. Consumers must navigate multiple sites of identification that constantly shift in importance and involvement. To more closely reflect actual consumers, this study incorporated gender orientation, age, and race into an intersectional analysis. By taking a more “true-to-life” approach to consumption/identity research, this project unearths new knowledge that is proximate to the lived experience of consumers. While both white and black informants use the symbolic meaning of commodities as a mode of self-expression, key differences exist. Dominant discourse pertaining to white and black male identity appears to influence how informants perceive possibilities of self, which in turn affects marketplace interaction. The author concludes with a discussion of ways public policy can be used to remedy marketplace inequities.