The Influence of Internalized Homophobia and Anti-Effeminacy
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THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND ANTI-EFFEMINACY ATTITUDES ON GAY MEN’S FASHION INVOLVEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT PREFERENCE FOR MASCULINE OR FEMININE APPEARANCE By AMOHA DAS Bachelor of Science in Information Technology MCKV Institute of Engineering Howrah, India 2011 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE May, 2015 THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND ANTI-EFFEMINACY ATTITUDES ON GAY MEN’S FASHION INVOLVEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT PREFERENCE FOR MASCULINE OR FEMININE APPEARANCE Thesis Approved: Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu Dr. Greg Clare Dr. Jane Swinney Dr. Heather McLaughlin ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my parents – my mother Antara Das and my father Aloke Das for backing my decision to further my education here in the United States and providing me with emotional and financial support throughout my academic journey. The completion of my Master’s degree thesis would not have been possible at all without the unrelenting support of my adviser Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu who has been a friend, philosopher and guide to me, from the very beginning right till the end. Her supportive and ‘never give up’ attitude has been key in my motivation to emerge successfully with my Master’s thesis. In the same vein, the valuable input and support from all of my committee members - Dr. Greg Clare, Dr. Jane Swinney and Dr. Heather McLaughlin, right from the start, have been immensely instrumental in the successful fruition of this project. My two friends/guardians/lifelines, without whom I wouldn’t even have survived this long in this foreign country, let alone complete my Master’s thesis are Ms. Jennifer Holt and Ms. Sarah Lamoreaux. Ms. Jennifer Holt has been my very best friend, mentor and a true guardian angel for all the three years that I have lived in this country, always making sure that I had a roof to sleep under, clean clothes to wear, food to eat and a shoulder to cry on whenever I needed to. Ms. Sarah Lamoreaux has been my other very best friend and my only true my partner in being “silly”, but most importantly someone who has made me realize the joy of living by not taking life too seriously. Others, without whom I wouldn’t have succeeded in this journey are – Dr. Cosette Armstrong, Mr. Chris Smith, Susan Brock, Delaina Goforth, Renee Burns, Helen Clements, Rachel Helen, Hooman Saeli, Chunmin Lang, Mahendran Balasubhramaniam, iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Cynthia Goudeau, Carlos Garcia, Saleah Blancaflor, Dakoda Smith, Will Frankenstein, Regina Henry, Lindsay Brown, Helen Clements, Maria Cagigal, Patrick Ferris, Brandon Jones, Josh Harden, Austin Keeton and Aniket Sengupta. I would like to thank the Office of Multicultural affairs at OSU and the LGBT organizations in Stillwater and nation-wide for helping me collect data for my survey. I am also greatly indebted to all the gay men in the United States who took time out of their busy schedules to take my survey. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jonathan Swift, author of the Gulliver’s Travels, from whom I may have subconsciously drawn inspiration from, for the writing of my thesis. My adviser consistently persisted on the art of concision while I wrote my thesis and it is to this end that I choose to conclude my acknowledgements with a quote by Jonathan Swift - “I could perhaps like others have astonished you with strange improbable tales; but I rather chose to relate plain matter of fact in the simplest manner and style; because my principal design was to inform you, and not to amuse you.” Jonathan Swift Gulliver’s Travels iv Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Name: AMOHA DAS Date of Degree: MAY, 2015 Title of Study: THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND ANTI- EFFEMINACY ATTITUDES ON GAY MEN’S FASHION INVOLVEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT PREFERENCE FOR MASCULINE OR FEMININE APPEARANCE Major Field: DESIGN, HOUSING AND MERCHANDISING Abstract: Studies have examined gay men’s fashion involvement, however few have measured this phenomenon in the context of negative prejudices that exist within the gay community itself. More specifically, there is a gap in the literature related to examining the influence of internalized homophobia and anti-effeminacy attitudes on gay men’s fashion involvement. There is also a need to explore gay men’s current definitions of masculinity and femininity in relation to fashion and clothing. Applying the framework of Social Identity Theory (SIT), the purpose of this mixed method study was twofold. First, it measured the influence of internalized homophobia and anti-effeminacy attitudes (among gay men) on gay men’s fashion involvement on one hand and their preferences for either masculine or feminine clothing on the other. Secondly, this study explored gay men’s definitions of masculine or feminine appearance in the context of clothing fashion. Additionally the study explored the relationship between fashion involvement in gay men and subsequent preference for masculine or feminine appearance. Data analysis revealed that gay men who were fashion conscious and fashion innovators displayed lower levels of internalized homophobia in social situations. In addition, gay men who had higher anti-effeminacy attitudes showed a preference for masculine appearance in the context of clothing fashions and gay men who were fashion innovative communicators, showed preference for a feminine or less masculine appearance. Overall participants described their dress preference as masculine. Implications of this study include the recognition of a previously neglected market potential, by creating less masculine clothing lines or less gender-specific merchandising techniques to cater to the needs of highly fashion involved gay men who have a potential for higher average spending on clothing. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Background ..............................................................................................................1 Statement of Problem ...............................................................................................4 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................4 Research Questions ..................................................................................................5 Significance of Study ...............................................................................................7 Assumptions ...........................................................................................................10 Limitations .............................................................................................................11 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE..................................................................................12 Homosexual Identity, Semiotics and Importance of Dress ....................................12 Homosexual identity ........................................................................................12 Semiotics ..........................................................................................................14 Importance of dress ..........................................................................................16 Fashion and the Gay Stereotype ............................................................................18 Fashion and the Feminine Stereotype ....................................................................22 Homosexuality and Effeminacy .............................................................................25 Internalized Homophobia .......................................................................................29 Negative Attitudes Toward Effeminacy ................................................................31 Hypothesis Formation ............................................................................................33 Theoretical Background .........................................................................................35 III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................38 Research Design.....................................................................................................38 Participants .......................................................................................................38 Instruments .......................................................................................................39 Data Collection ......................................................................................................43 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................44 vi Chapter Page IV. FINDINGS .............................................................................................................46 Quantitative Findings .............................................................................................46 Measures ..........................................................................................................46 Correlation among measures............................................................................49