A Multimodal Critical Discourse
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LOOKING AT FASHION THROUGH GREEN-COLORED GLASSES: A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF VOGUE’S SUSTAINABLE FASHION EDITORIALS _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by KATHRYN JO BAKER JONES Dr. Jana Hawley, Dissertation Supervisor JULY 2014 © Copyright by Kathryn Jo Baker Jones 2014 All rights reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled LOOKING AT FASHION THROUGH GREEN-COLORED GLASSES: A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF VOGUE’S SUSTAINABLE FASHION EDITORIALS presented by Kathryn Jo Baker Jones, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Dr. Jana Hawley _______________________________ Dr. Jean Parsons _______________________________ Dr. Laurel Wilson _______________________________ Dr. Yong Volz _______________________________ Joe, this is for and because of you. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This undertaking was only possible with the help, support, and encouragement of organizations, mentors, family and friends. My appreciation truly knows no bounds. Thank you to the Textile and Apparel Management Department at the University of Missouri for the opportunity to serve as a graduate teaching assistant and for providing the financial support that made these three years of study possible. Additionally, thank you to the College of Human Environmental Sciences for additional support provided through the Maxine Hobbs Patrick and Homer Patrick Graduate Fellowship, the Martin Quilling Fellowship and the Piper Fellowship. This research was made significantly easier with access to the Vogue Archive provided by the Hugh Stephen’s Library at Stephen’s College in Columbia, MO. Thank you, in particular, to James Walter, the Research and Collection Development Librarian who was always ready to assist me with archive access or simply welcome me with a warm smile. My sincerest gratitude is expressed to Dr. Jana Hawley. I am forever grateful for the role you have played in my academic development. You were the first to plant the seed of higher education in my mind and my presence in Academia can largely be attributed to you. You have served as my champion on numerous occasions and I certainly wouldn’t be the student I am today without your careful guidance and gentle nudging. To Dr. Jean Parsons and Dr. Laurel Wilson, thank you for helping me become a better researcher. Your knowledge base and passion for the material culture that occupies our world is always inspiring. Dr. Yong Volz, than you for opening my eyes to a ii whole new world of theory that has invigorated my zeal for qualitative research. You have provided me with analytical tools that will last me a lifetime. Special thanks to my mentors, Dr. Abby Lillethun and Dr. Linda Welters, who continued to offer me support and advice long after I left their classrooms at the University of Rhode Island. You have taught me the value of pursuing subjects that both challenge and inspire me. To my fellow grad students, you have made the difficult times bearable and the joyous times all the more so. To Jessica and Gargi, it has been a pleasure moving through this process with you. Most of all to Allie, we’ve gone to grad school hell and back and lived to tell the tale. That’s the stuff of lasting friendships. I will always be appreciative for your sympathetic ears and words of encouragement. Most of all, I am thankful for the countless silly moments we had. Nothing was ever so bad that we couldn’t giggle our way through it. My eternal gratitude must be expressed to a family that has always supported my educational pursuits. To Mom and Doug, Dad and Nancy, Grammy and Poppy, Ray and Nora: the financial assistance was always appreciated but no words can express how much your constant encouragement and love have kept me going. Finally, to Joe (chef, editor, sounding board, personal trainer, friend, and husband): you are my traveling companion in the pursuit of love, knowledge and adventure. I cannot imagine the journey without you. I am indebted to you for the support you have provided and only hope to return the favor in due time. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. viii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 : Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Purpose ................................................................................................ 2 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 3 Overview of Methodology ......................................................................................... 4 Rationale and Significance ......................................................................................... 5 Role of the Researcher .............................................................................................. 8 Research Assumptions ............................................................................................... 8 Organization of Study ................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 2 : Sustainable Fashion Discourse And The Media ............................................. 11 The Discourse of Sustainability ................................................................................ 11 Fashion and Sustainability: Strange Bedfellows ...................................................... 24 The Magazine .......................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3 : Methods ......................................................................................................... 52 Research Questions and Selection of Methods ....................................................... 52 DHA as Method ....................................................................................................... 54 iv MCDA as Method .................................................................................................... 55 Data ......................................................................................................................... 58 Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 58 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 62 Verification .............................................................................................................. 71 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................. 71 Chapter 4 : Vogue And Sustainability (1990-2013): A Discourse-Historical Approach ..... 72 The Era of Penitence: 1990-1994 ............................................................................ 75 Covert Slow Fashion: 1995-2005 ............................................................................. 85 The Golden Era of Sustainable Fashion: 2006-2009 ................................................ 99 Commoditizing the movement: 2010-2013 ........................................................... 115 Appropriating or Undermining?: Vogue and Sustainability ................................... 128 Chapter 5 : The Materiality of Conscientiousness ......................................................... 132 Magic Words: Turning ‘Consumer Goods’ Into ‘Sustainable Fashion’ ................... 132 Getting the feel for sustainable fashion ................................................................ 151 How to be a better consumer ................................................................................ 153 Who is buying sustainable fashion? ...................................................................... 171 Commoditizing sustainable goods ......................................................................... 175 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 177 Chapter 6 : Conclusions .................................................................................................. 179 Findings .................................................................................................................. 179 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 185 Contributions ......................................................................................................... 188 v Opportunities for future exploration ....................................................................