University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2015 The Performance of Health? Motivations Behind University Students' Decisions to Wear Athletic Attire Shannon Payne University of Central Florida Part of the Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Recommended Citation Payne, Shannon, "The Performance of Health? Motivations Behind University Students' Decisions to Wear Athletic Attire" (2015). HIM 1990-2015. 615. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/615 THE PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH? MOTIVATIONS BEHIND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ DECISIONS TO WEAR ATHLETIC ATTIRE by SHANNON N. PAYNE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Anthropology in the College of Sciences and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2015 Thesis Chair: Dr. Joanna Mishtal ABSTRACT “Athleisure” is a relatively new term to the American lexicon, a portmanteau used to describe athletic clothing used for leisure purposes. Recent studies show a disconnect between consumers’ desire to purchase athletic attire and the percentage of Americans considered “active to a healthy level and beyond.” While athletic wear sales skyrocket, reported levels of inactivity have slowly increased in recent years. These trends indicate a phenomenon in which consumers prioritize ownership of athletic wear over athletics.