Clothing The Self: Material Resources, Reflexive Identity Work, and the Social Dimensions of Everyday Dressing

• In Event: Sociology of the Body and Embodiment Section Open Call Paper Session

Abstract

This article investigates dressing as reflexive identity work in late modernity. While sociological research examines how clothing signals class and group membership, the intrapersonal experience of getting dressed remains unexplored. Drawing on qualitative interviews about wardrobe relationships and dressing practices, we reveal how clothing maintains identity amid institutional instability and fragmented selfhood. We find identity is fundamentally relational; dressing provides ontological security through reflexive material engagement; and individuals maintain spatial separations between alienated work and chosen home spaces through distinct clothing practices. These findings challenge identity work as self-focused individualism, revealing instead empathic collective engagement. Understanding dressing rituals is critical for addressing consumption patterns in sustainable fashion movements.

Author

• Alexandria Vasquez