Cultural Studies
jamal mohamadi; Shaghayegh Binandeh
Abstract
The main purpose of this research is to conduct a qualitative study, namely grounded theory, on how a specific kind of femininity is constructed through the consumption of luxury goods. To gain this purpose, the everyday consuming activities of women in leisure classes in Sanandaj would be studied. Historically, ...
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The main purpose of this research is to conduct a qualitative study, namely grounded theory, on how a specific kind of femininity is constructed through the consumption of luxury goods. To gain this purpose, the everyday consuming activities of women in leisure classes in Sanandaj would be studied. Historically, two theoretical approaches have dominated the field of luxury consumption: The classic approach of wealth - based luxury consumption and the recent approach of luxury competencies. The theoretical basis of this research is a synthesis of both approaches, with more emphasis on classic one. The sample is chosen by way of purposeful sampling whereby 21 women from Sanandaj leisure classes are interviewed in three districts: Shalman, Safari, Mobarakabad. The data were analyzed through coding processes and categorized under five categories: causal condition, contextual condition, intervening condition, strategies and consequences. The concluding core category is the representation of a kind of hegemonic femininity which, according to what data tell us, is totally the outcome of luxury consumption. The leisure classed women use two different strategies to strengthen and reproduce this femininity: the fist one serves to construct a pseudo- aristocratic femininity and the second functions to reproduce their hegemonic status in social hierarchy. The luxury consumption has also some main consequences in leisure classed women’ lives which mostly serve to strengthen aristocratic values like representing pride and prejudice, claiming to originality and family lineage.
