Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2016 Inconspicuous Fandom: Exploring Subtle Female's Expressions of Science Fiction and Fantasy Fandom through Dress Dina C. Smith-Glaviana Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Art and Design Commons Recommended Citation Smith-Glaviana, Dina C., "Inconspicuous Fandom: Exploring Subtle Female's Expressions of Science Fiction and Fantasy Fandom through Dress" (2016). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3085. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3085 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. INCONSPICUOUS FANDOM: EXPLORING SUBTLE FEMALE’S EXPRESSIONS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY FANDOM THROUGH DRESS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising by Dina Cherise Smith-Glaviana B.S., The University of Southern Mississippi, 2006 M.S., The University of Georgia, 2011 August 2016 © Copyright 2016 Dina Cherise Smith-Glaviana All rights reserved ii This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Ginger Gale Smith. She has shown her love and support throughout my education in infinite ways. There were many times when finding a balance between school life and home life felt unachievable. In these times, her guidance, reassurance, and support helped me achieve this balance. I am happy to have a mother who provided encouragement and passed on to me a love of learning. I am also fortunate to have a mother who is a fellow academic who willingly shared her experiences and expertise concerning research methods and proper use of grammar and syntax. Thank you, Mom, for all the ways you have supported me throughout my educational pursuits. This work is also dedicated to my husband, Mark Glaviana, Jr. His patience and understanding have been endless throughout these three years. His love for comic books, anime, movies, and graphic t-shirts featuring these things not only inspired me to pursue this topic, but inspired me to show who I truly am. Thank you, Mark, for being my muse! iii Acknowledgements This accomplishment is due in part to the emotional support given by my family and friends. Their kind, encouraging words reminding me that I am strong, smart, and successful, made this project less overwhelming. I want to thank all of you for convincing me that my self- doubt was unfounded. My fellow faculty members at The University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Brigitte Burgess, and Dr. Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong are greatly appreciated for the beneficial career and teaching advice they gave me as I pursued this degree. To Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong, I give special commendation for her role as audit coder in this project. Without the faculty at Louisiana State University, I would never have developed the confidence to take on such a challenging project. A special thanks is extended to my co-chairs, Dr. Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff and Dr. Casey Stannard, for helping me establish a successful publication track record while attending Louisiana State University. I thank Dr. Jenna Kuttruff for her assistance in developing my previous works, as well as this dissertation. To Dr. Casey Stannard, I am thankful for your patience with my need for perfectionism, as well as your willingness to help condense our manuscripts into tight page limits. I have enjoyed working with you as part of a very successful research team! To my committee members, Dr. Chunmin Lang, Ioan Negulescu, and Leslie Koptcho, thank you for all your advice and your role in the development of this research. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………….iv List of Tables………......…………………………………………….…………………………...vi List of Figures………......………………………………………………………………………..vii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...ix Chapter 1 Introduction.……......………………………….………………………………………..1 2 Review of Literature…………………………………………………………………...11 3 Methods and Procedures.……......……………… ..…………………………………..60 . 4 Results……………………………………………………………………………….…73 5 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………….188 6 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………...255 References………………………………………………………………………………………269 Appendix A Types of Inconspicuous Fan Dress (IFD)…………………………………..….…….282 B Interview Protocol…………………………………………………..…………….…287 C Wardrobe Interview Protocol………………………………………………………..290 D IRB Approval…………………………………………………..……………………293 E IRB Modification 1……………………….…………………………………….……294 F IRB Modification 2…………………………………………………………………..295 Vita…………………………………………………………………………………...…………296 v List of Tables Table 1. Science Fiction Fandoms Worn………………………………………….……………...84 Table 2. Fantasy Fandoms Worn…………………………………………………………….…...85 Table 3. Mix of Science Fiction and Fantasy Fandoms Worn……………………………...……87 Table 4. Fan Dress by Category………………………………………………………………….88 Table 5. Personal Motivations………………………………………………………….……….128 Table 6. Social Motivations………………………………………………………………….….143 Table 7. Reasons for Engaging in Impression Management……………………………….…...160 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Castiel Ensemble……………………………………………………………………….20 Figure 2. Number of participants per region……………………………………………………...74 Figure 3. Number participants per age range……………………………….…………………...……75 Figure 4. Number participants per industry……………………...……………………………….77 Figure 5. Most commonly worn fandoms…………………………….……….....………….………83 Figure 6. Number of participants per type of clothing…………………………………………...89 Figure 7. Number of participants per forms of accessories………………………...........………90 Figure 8. Number of participants per fan dress classifications…………………………………..91 Figure 9. Tree of Gondor t-shirt………………………………………………………………….93 Figure 10. CFD and IFD relationship model………….…………………...…………………….94 Figure 11. Knitted Wonder Woman sweater…………………………………………………….96 Figure 12. Examples of direct IFD…………………………….…………………...……………97 Figure 13. Star Wars imperial stud earrings ……………………….…………………...……….98 Figure 14. Fan accessories made from fashionable materials………….………………...………99 Figure 15. Fan dress garments featuring only textual references................................................101 Figure 16. Graphic garments with secondary logos…………………………………………….102 Figure 17. Fan dress items with specific references…………………….…………………...…103 Figure 18. Obscure visual references featured on fan dress items……………………………...105 Figure 19. Mashup t-shirts……………………………………………………………………...107 Figure 20. Geek fashion………………………………………………………………………...108 Figure 21. Dresses with inconspicuous prints………………………………………..…………110 Figure 22. Fan accessories with inconspicuous prints………………………………………….111 vii Figure 23. CFD/IFD masked……………………………………………………………………112 Figure 24. Body modification with direct references…………………………………………..113 Figure 25. Replica garment……………………………………………………………………..114 Figure 26. Replica accessory…………………………….……………….…………………….115 Figure 27. Inspired garment…………………………….………………….…………………...117 Figure 28. Self-made inspired garments………………………………………………………..118 Figure 29. Self-designed inspired garments…………………………………………………….119 Figure 30. Inspired ensembles………………………………………………………………….120 Figure 31. Example of everyday cosplay…………………………….…………………………121 Figure 32. Example of a Disneybound…………………………………………………………122 Figure 33. Mika Jougasaki-inspired ensemble……………………………….........……………124 Figure 34. Geek fashion items worn to work…………………………………………………...173 Figure 35. Graphic t-shirts……………………………………………………………………...182 Figure 36. Self-made fantasy film-inspired garments and replica accessories…………………183 Figure 37. Direct fan dress items worn to a themed event………….………………….........….186 Figure 38. Fan dress items worn mostly in fan settings………………………………………...187 Figure 39. Taxonomy of fan dress……………………………………………………………...242 viii Abstract The purpose of the research was to understand women’s motivations for wearing inconspicuous fan dress (IFD) within various settings and social contexts, and to explore how IFD contributes to fans’ social and personal identities and personal distinctiveness. Prior to this research, there was one study conducted on fan dress (Shipley, 2010). Previous researchers studied fan cultures using the concept of brand community, but did so within limited social contexts (Kozinets, 2001; Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001; Schau, Muniz, & Arnould, 2009; Shipley, 2010; Thompson, 2009). Other researchers focused on costume relating to fandom rather than everyday forms of fan dress (Chen 2007; Mishou, 2015; Schau et al., 2009; Taylor, 2009). A qualitative research design was selected due to the exploratory nature of this topic. Thirty-three online and in-person interviews were conducted with females who wore dress related to science fiction and fantasy films and television series. Participants wore a variety of fandoms, which included Star Wars, Marvel Comics (Avengers or Deadpool), DC Comics (Batman), and anime fandoms like Sailor Moon. The interview data were managed using NVivo qualitative analysis software and analyzed using the constant comparison method (Creswell, 2007; Reddy-Best & Pedersen, 2015). Four major themes emerged