Proquest Dissertations
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IDENTITY FOR SALE: A Case Study of Gap Inc. MEGHAN J. REES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER'S GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GEOGRAPHY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO JULY 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45966-9 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45966-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT Where we consume, what we consume and how we present our material goods on our bodies all provide important messages about our identity. As consumers, we surround ourselves with objects that define and project our identity. Clothing is among the most popular, and the most public, of commodities used to express individual identities. It has moved beyond its usefulness for modesty and warmth, and has become highly culturally symbolic. Thus, consumption of clothing can be considered more than a frivolous and meaningless act, this thesis will reveal how it can be positioned as an intimate and involved exercise in identity construction. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, my research aims to uncover how people perceive spaces of consumption and how these perceptions affect processes of identity development and expression. Using the Gap and Old Navy as focal points for my case study, I examine how these retail environments are constructed, how merchandising techniques are utilized and how consumers interpret such spaces. I demonstrate the gendered differences in consumption habits and identity performance highlighting, for men, the influence of sexuality, and for women, the importance of ideal, perceived and real images of women's bodies. Given both the pervasiveness of the Gap and Old Navy in the Canadian market, and the continuing culture of identity-based consumption, I argue that the spatial practices employed by clothing retailers play a significant role in the shaping and expression of their patrons' self-perceptions and identities. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I believe it is important to acknowledge the many people who have helped this thesis come to fruition. I am grateful to my research participants; without their openness and the generous donations of their time this research would not have been possible. I am also immensely thankful for the expertise, advice, guidance and support of my supervisors, Alison Bain and Linda Peake. The critical commentary and thought- provoking discussions that they provided challenged me and helped me to improve the quality of both my research and my writing. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to my friends who tolerated 2 years of intermittent communication, and to my family and my fiancee, who bore with me through the trials and challenges of completing a thesis and were unwavering in their support and encouragement. V TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iv Acknowledgements v List of Figures viii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Literature Review 7 Retail Geography 8 Geographies of Production & Consumption 10 Geographies of the Body 18 Summary 22 CHAPTER 3 Research Design & Methodology 24 Overview of the Research Sample 25 Justifying the Research Locales 33 Research Strategy 39 Participant Observation: A Theoretical and Practical Discussion 42 The Interview: A Theoretical and Practical Discussion 48 Summary 61 CHAPTER 4 (De)constructing the Retail Spaces of Gap Inc 63 Creating Atmosphere: A Shopper's Natural Habitat 64 Retail Spaces of Gap Incorporated: The Gap and Old Navy 73 Summary 87 CHAPTER 5 There's More Than One Way to Dress Like a Man 89 Hegemonic Masculinity 91 Male Consumption Patterns 100 Body Image 107 Is Consumption Affecting Men's Identities? 113 Summary 119 CHAPTER 6 Female Identity: Do Clothes Make the Woman? 121 Female Consumption Patterns 123 vi Body Image 130 Desire to Alter Appearance 131 Fashion Advertisements and Self-Comparison 133 Store Environments and Comparative Self-Evaluation 138 Clothing Size and Bodily Awareness 144 Is Consumption Affecting Women's Identities? 149 Summary 153 CHAPTER 7 Conclusion 155 Masculinity, Consumption & Identity: What is 'manly'? 156 Femininity, Consumption & Identity: Interpreting "how do I look?" 162 Geographical Implications 167 Avenues for Further Research 171 REFERENCES 174 APPENDICES Appendix A: Summary Profile of Interview Participants 182 Appendix B: Participant Observation Guide 183 Appendix C: Interview Guide 184 Appendix D: Gap Advertising Images 186 Appendix E: Old Navy Advertising Images 187 Appendix F: Introductory Interview Survey 188 Appendix G: Floor Plan of the Gap at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto 189 Appendix H: Floor Plan of the Old Navy at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto 190 Vll LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Pie chart of income levels of interview participants 29 Figure 2: Pie chart of percentage of personal income interview participants spend on clothing yearly 30 Figure 3: Pie chart of interview participants' levels of satisfaction with their appearance 31 Figure 4: Map of Gap and Old Navy locations in Toronto, Ontario 35 Figure 5: Map of Gap locations in Toronto and surrounding area 36 Figure 6: Map of Old Navy locations in Toronto and surrounding area 36 Vlll 1 INTRODUCTION At the crossroads of retail geography, geographies of consumption and geographies of the body, and informed by academic theorizations about identity, this thesis examines the role that spaces of retail and consumption play in the creation and display of personal identities. My desire to undertake research that focuses on identity development and retail space stems from two distinct but converging personal interests; matters of self-expression and identity, and fashion and shopping. I particularly enjoy living in a city as diverse as Toronto because it provides me with the opportunity to have encounters with various groups of people and to observe innumerable different methods of self-expression. In any public space there is the possibility of encountering a multitude of identity presentations. Most fascinating, for me, are the ways in which people utilize fashion and clothing to express themselves, their identities, and their personalities. While many people find fashion and shopping to be frivolous and self-indulgent interests, I not only enjoy them but I see beyond the superficiality of their surfaces to the deeper meaning that clothing and fashion can have as means of communication, expression, and individualization. As a result of this interest and curiosity, I spend at least three to five hours of my leisure time each week reading fashion magazines and browsing through retail websites, stores and malls. In my many shopping experiences I have consistently encountered several bothersome retail merchandising, layout and sizing practices. For instance, most stores hide intimates and swimwear in a corner, in the back of the store, or in a completely segregated area of their store. If a store offers a 'plus-size' line of clothing it is invariably put on a back wall, practically out of sight from the entrance. Athletic wear is also kept at the backs of stores. Additionally, on hanging racks and shelving units, sizes are arranged with the smallest sizes on top or at the front and the largest sizes at the bottom or the back, with ample numbers of small and medium sized items available and a limited number of large and extra large sized items. These practices are especially evident in the Gap and Old Navy, two stores that I browse through during the majority of my visits to a mall. I should note that I do not consider myself, nor do I suspect others would consider me, on either the large or petite sides of the size spectrum. My body, as far as weight and proportion are concerned, is incredibly 'average'. I am 5'8", which is above the average height for women but, at 175 pounds, I carry the average weight for other women of the same height. This weight is distributed throughout my body in such a way that the proportions create a slight hourglass shape, not unlike that of a typical North American woman; my bust measures 40", my waist 30" and my hips 41". There are aspects of my appearance that make my body athletic looking, for example I have broader shoulders than most women of a comparable size, my arms are wider and more defined, and I have larger, more muscular thighs.