The toxic lining of men’s fashion consumption: The omnipresent force of hegemonic masculinity

Abstract

Abstract While scholars have theorized about men’s motives for consuming fashion, few empirical studies have explored these theorizations against men’s lived experiences. A gap in knowledge exists between how scholars understand men’s fashion consumption and how men understand their fashion consumption. In this article, I examine men’s motives for consuming fashion based on individual interviews with 30 demographically diverse male consumers. Findings reveal that men are motivated to consume fashion because it provides benefits, including expressing identity, cultivating success and facilitating engagement. However, the pressures of body anxiety, exclusion and sartorial stress temper these positive outcomes. The common thread of hegemonic masculinity connect the various benefits and pressures that men experience when they engage in fashion. My research enhances knowledge about the operation of masculinity in consumer culture and the anxieties that men experience during the fashion consumption process. Menswear brands are advised to promote diverse masculine ideals in order to prevent negative business outcomes.