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Taste in Appearance: Self, Cultivated Dispositions, and Cultural Capital Yoo Jin Kwon Iowa State University

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Taste in Appearance: Self, Cultivated Dispositions, and Cultural Capital Yoo Jin Kwon Iowa State University Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2007 Taste in appearance: self, cultivated dispositions, and cultural capital Yoo Jin Kwon Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Marketing Commons, Social Psychology Commons, and the Social Psychology and Interaction Commons Recommended Citation Kwon, Yoo Jin, "Taste in appearance: self, cultivated dispositions, and cultural capital" (2007). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 15977. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/15977 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Taste in appearance: Self, cultivated dispositions, and cultural capital by Yoo Jin Kwon A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Textiles and Clothing Program of Study Committee: Mary Lynn Damhorst, Major Professor Lulu Rodriguez Joseph Kupfer Jean Parsons Susan Torntore Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2007 Copyright © Yoo Jin Kwon, 2007. All rights reserved. UMI Number: 3259501 Copyright 2007 by Kwon, Yoo Jin All rights reserved. UMI Microform 3259501 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................. v CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO. BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................. 7 Definitions of Taste........................................................................................................... 7 Taste in Theories of Aesthetics......................................................................................... 9 Hutcheson, Hume, and Kant ................................................................................... 11 Hutcheson and Hume...................................................................................... 11 Kant................................................................................................................. 17 Principles of Taste: Empirically Generalized vs. A priori...................................... 22 Normative Aspects of Taste.................................................................................... 27 Discovery of Beauty vs. Projection of Value.......................................................... 29 Taste in Sociology........................................................................................................... 31 Sociological Issues of Taste: Fashion and Stratification ........................................ 32 The Emergence of Taste: The History of Status Markers....................................... 36 Taste and Conscious Social Competition ............................................................... 39 Refuting Class Competition in Taste ...................................................................... 44 Expression of Individuality............................................................................. 44 Expression of Collectivity............................................................................... 46 Revisiting Taste and Class: Unconscious Adaptation and Distinction................... 49 Metatheoretical Understanding of Social Structure and Culture .................... 51 Taste as Habitus .............................................................................................. 55 Forms of Taste ................................................................................................ 61 Taste and Cultural Capital .............................................................................. 64 Taste in Consumption Field............................................................................ 70 Studies of Taste and Cultural Capital in the U. S. .......................................... 71 Research Questions......................................................................................................... 76 CHAPTER THREE. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 81 Research Design.............................................................................................................. 81 Sample............................................................................................................................. 82 Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 84 Analysis........................................................................................................................... 85 CHAPTER FOUR. ANALYSIS............................................................................................. 88 Taste as Embodiment of Self .......................................................................................... 90 Taste as an Extension of the Body.......................................................................... 94 Taste as an Extension of the Self ............................................................................ 98 Multiple Selves and Clothing Practices ................................................................ 103 Taste and Motives in Appearance................................................................................. 111 To Be Appropriate ................................................................................................ 112 To Be Creative ...................................................................................................... 115 iii To Feel in Control................................................................................................. 119 To Feel Comfortable............................................................................................. 122 To Look Up-to-Date ............................................................................................. 124 To Look Put Together........................................................................................... 127 Taste and Appearance Management ............................................................................. 130 Financial Management.......................................................................................... 131 Time and Labor Management............................................................................... 137 Cognitive Effort Management .............................................................................. 139 Aesthetic Management.......................................................................................... 143 Judgement of Taste in Appearance............................................................................... 150 Judging Embodiment of Self ................................................................................ 150 Judging Exercise of the Motives in Appearance................................................... 155 To be Appropriate......................................................................................... 155 To Be Creative .............................................................................................. 156 To Feel in Control......................................................................................... 158 To Feel Comfortable..................................................................................... 161 To Look Up-to-Date ..................................................................................... 162 To Look Put Together................................................................................... 163 Judging Appearance Management........................................................................ 165 Cultural Capital and Taste in Appearance .................................................................... 166 Resources of Cultural Capital Specific to Appearance Consumption .................. 166 Education: Linguistic Competency and Information Processing.................. 166 Social Origins: The Influence of Upbringing ............................................... 171 Occupation: Opportunity .............................................................................. 173 Social Boundaries and Taste in Appearance......................................................... 176 Cultural Proficiency and Aesthetic Experience .................................................... 183 Aesthetic Reasoning...................................................................................... 183 Formal Analysis............................................................................................ 185 Associations .................................................................................................. 187 Negotiation and Creation of Ambiguity ....................................................... 189 Cultural Variety ...........................................................................................
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