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Youth Culture, Clothing, and Communicative Messages UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2005 Youth culture, clothing, and communicative messages Eric Batson University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Batson, Eric, "Youth culture, clothing, and communicative messages" (2005). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1868. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/c0jk-cazj This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. YOUTH CULTURE. CLOTHING, AND COMMUNICATIVE MESSAGES by Eric Batson Bachelor of Science Southern Utah University 2001 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Communication Studies Hank Greenspun School of Communication Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1435599 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1435599 Copyright 2006 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, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval UNIE The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas November 10 200S The Thesis prepared by Eric L. Batson Entitled Youth Culture, Clothing, and Communicative Messages is approved in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the degree of _____________________ Master of Arts in Communication Studies Examination Committee Chair Dean o f the Graduate College ittee M e m berxamination Comrrittee Memberxamination \ amination (Zotnmntee M eiw Jir Graduate College Faculty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Youth Culture, Clothing, and Communicative Messages by Eric Batson Dr. Lawrence J. Mullen, Examination Committee Chair Associate Professor of Communication University of Nevada, Las Vegas As a nonverbal form of communication, clothing reveals much about its wearers. In addition to exposing attitudes, values, beliefs, and other personal traits, individuals can utilize clothing to disseminate deliberate, symbolic messages. This project focuses on youth subcultures and the messages associated with their strategically constructed clothing images. It addresses how they display in-group affiliation and out-group separation through the management of clothing. It discusses how individuals can increase their personal value with in-group members as they manage their apparel in appropriate and deliberate ways. This thesis also notes the multiple influences that affect the clothing choices of youth subcultures and others. Finally, through an analysis of young people’s perceptions of their own subcultures, clothing uses, and influences on their clothing styles, this project demonstrates how clothing serves multiple and various functions for youth subcultures and other young people. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ iii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................5 Symbolic Interaction ......................................................................................... 5 Nonverbal Communication and Clothing ......................................................... 6 Symbols and Clothing .....................................................................................9 An Extension of the Self ................................................................................11 Intercultural Communication .........................................................................14 Youth Subcultures and Their Influences ........................................................15 Functions and Assumptions of Clothing Management ..................................20 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY AND DATA DESCRIPTION........................... 24 Grounded Theory .......................................................................................... 24 The Questionnaire ......................................................................................... 25 Research Participants................................................................................... 26 Data Collection Procedures ...........................................................................26 Data Analysis..................................................................................................28 CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS........................................................................ 31 Subcultures and Their Clothing .....................................................................32 Defining and Expressing the Self through Clothing Management ..................36 Specific Clothing Styles and Locations of Purchase ...................................... 38 Media Influences on Clothing Choices ..........................................................40 Why They Wear What They Wear .................................................................41 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.......................... 43 REFERENCES.................................................................................................... 52 APPENDIX 1...........................................................................................................55 APPENDIX II..........................................................................................................59 VITA...................................................................................................................... 61 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION From the early to mid 1990’s, I was involved in a subculture known simply as “skaters.” This was a group of teenagers who rode skateboards, listened to punk rock and “alternative" music, and generally got into trouble with local law enforcement. It was not uncommon for us to have extreme hairstyles (long, colored, spiked, etc.), body piercings, and tattoos. This was before these practices became as commonplace among America's youth as they are today. We also wore excessively large pants and shirts, skateboarding shoes, and other skateboarding brand apparel. There are several significant things about the lifestyle we led. First, we managed our clothing in specific ways to project a rebel image and to connect with our skater peers. Due to our behavior and images we were feared, hated, or loved. These reactions were dependent upon others’ associations with us, whether inside or outside of our culture. Since that time, I have always noted what people wear, and pondered what they are trying to communicate to the public, if anything at all. This project is the culmination and product of my personal identification with those who manage their identities through their clothing. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Clothing serves as a personal indicator of status, occupation, group affiliation, and other individually revealing features (Joseph, 1986). It can be functional in its uses and diverse in its styles; thus, different individuals and groups utilize it for varied reasons. Through its management, individuals overtly or unconsciously send visually oriented messages to the public. These messages are symbolic in nature and represent individuals' “values, beliefs, and emotions” (Joseph, 1986, p. 9). However, the above points merely hint at how complex clothing as communication can be. In addition to these concepts of clothing and communication, there is the complication of understanding the messages unique to different groups of people. Groups convey and exhibit distinctly disseminated “intercultural” messages that out-group individuals may not comprehend. This process may involve verbal or nonverbal components. As intercultural messages emerge
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