Fashioning Gender Fashioning Gender
FASHIONING GENDER FASHIONING GENDER: A CASE STUDY OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY BY ALLYSON STOKES, B.A.(H), M.A. A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES OF MCMASTER UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY c Copyright by Allyson Stokes, August 2013 All Rights Reserved Doctor of Philosophy (2013) McMaster University (Sociology) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada TITLE: Fashioning Gender: A Case Study of the Fashion Industry AUTHOR: Allyson Stokes BA.H., MA SUPERVISOR: Dr. Tina Fetner NUMBER OF PAGES: xii, 169 ii For Johnny. iii Abstract This dissertation uses the case of the fashion industry to explore gender inequality in cre- ative cultural work. Data come from 63 in-depth interviews, media texts, labor market statistics, and observation at Toronto’s fashion week. The three articles comprising this sandwich thesis address: (1) processes through which femininity and feminized labor are devalued; (2) the gendered distribution of symbolic capital among fashion designers; and (3) the gendered organization of the fashion industry and the “ideal creative worker.” In chapter two, I apply devaluation theory to the fashion industry in Canada. This chap- ter makes two contributions to literature on the devaluation of femininity and “women’s work.” First, while devaluation is typically used to explain the gender wage gap, I also address symbolic aspects of devaluation related to respect, prestige, and interpretations of worth. Second, this paper shows that processes of devaluation vary and are heavily shaped by the context in which work is performed. I address five processes of devaluation in fash- ion: (1) trivialization, (2) the privileging of men and masculinity, (3) the production of a smokescreen of glamour, (4) the use of free labor and “free stuff,” and (5) the construction of symbolic boundaries between “work horses” and “show ponies.” In chapter three, I use media analysis to investigate male advantage in the predomi- nantly female field of fashion design.
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