Abstract
An exploratory study of female baby boomers’ perceptions of fashion magazines was conducted using in depth interviews. This research acknowledges that fashion tends to focus on a youthful demographic, and fashion assumes this older demographic will conform to the youthful ideals that are displayed. Fashion magazines are therefore faced with the challenge of how to attract older female readers while still portraying a fashionable image. By taking a qualitative approach that focuses on verbal descriptions and human emotion, this research will help explain the perceptions and attitudes felt by female baby boomers. Participants indicated diversity, going green, embracing sexuality, clothedness, and body size, influenced their reading of fashion magazines. This research advances knowledge by revealing the central themes that influence baby boomer women’s responses to fashion magazines. It advises fashion editors to re-consider their current casting and editorial practices in order to attract baby boomer women.
Highlights
With regards to my own research, I would be interested in exploring if this image discourages them from buying specific fashion magazines or if, as this study suggests, it does not affect their response to such magazines
By taking a qualitative approach that focuses on verbal descriptions and human emotion my research will help explain the perceptions and attitudes felt by female baby boomers (Jackson & Verberg 2007)
Implications for Theory This study aims to uncover the appeals and opinions of female baby boomers towards fashion magazines, the main purpose being to resolve past gaps in the literature that do not directly access baby boomers appeals through interviews, but rather complete a quantitative analysis instead
Summary
The fashion industry has forgotten a large percentage of the female demographic, excluding baby boomer women in its content and portrayal, opting to display a youthful image instead. An effort has been exhibited to include a wider age demographic in fashion magazines; for example, Vogue magazine distributes an “age issue” once a year While this may be seen as a step towards older female empowerment, critics have described it otherwise. By looking at the opinions and views of advertisements displayed in fashion magazines, key insights into what baby boomer women want can be discovered and marketing techniques can be improved. According to Mathur and Moschis (2007), the baby boomer demographic is the most resilient generation in history and they are refusing to grow older They are pushing the limit of “middle age” to extend indefinitely and this is demonstrated by their efforts to stay young and to keep healthy. I will conclude with an examination of my findings and the implications resulting from those findings that should direct future research
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