Female Fashion as Leisure and Labor on Reddit

Abstract

This paper examines a vibrant online community called Female Fashion Advice, which exemplifies convergence culture because its members both produce and consume its content. This large subreddit offers a compelling alternative to traditional fashion journalism and empowers women to partake in a hobby that has been denigrated due to its association with femininity. Using grounded practical theory, we found that fashion is treated as serious leisure, as evidenced by displays of personal effort, career progress, and an emphasis on enduring benefits. However, women in this community also struggle to keep fashion from becoming unpaid labor. The tension between leisure and labor emerged as women discussed fashion as meaningful, enjoyable, and enriching, but also stressful and socially required. We argue that this is an aspect of convergence culture, which has collapsed the distinction between media producers and consumers, and therefore made the line between leisure and labor blurry.