“Purchasable Love”: Reflection of spousal role and identity in women’s conspicuous consumption for body management

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of sociology, ACECR (Khorasan Razavi Branch), Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Sociology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Nowadays consumption choices for body management, especially among women, have several symbolic implications and are a sphere for self-expression and social meaning making. Both in metropolitan contexts where anonymity and ephemeral relations are key characteristics, and in social contexts in which kinship connections and origins are crucial, “body” is the main vehicle for identity. It seems that a main part of conspicuous consumption appears in family and kinship interactions in Iran. The aim of this research is to explore what Iranian married women living in a metropolis, in their spousal role and identity, experience through conspicuous consumption in body management and what meanings they construct and exchange. The qualitative research approach was employed and 38 women living in Mashhad were interviewed in the years 2015-2016. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis were conducted. Finally, three main concepts appeared: Transmission of status, commodification of love, and ritualistic self-expression. Transmission of status implies that status is transmitted through women, husbands, husbands’ family members and other kinships. Commodification of love means women’s conspicuous consumption is the vehicle of their desirability and lovability in their familial role. Ritualistic self-expression indicates that kinship rituals and conjugal relationships are the main opportunities for women to simultaneously experience self-expression and constraint in conspicuous consumption’s framework of possibilities. Findings of this study present new implications for the interactions between the socio-economic context of modern Iran and the meanings of women’s consumption behavior in the studied context.

Keywords

References

ابوالحسن تنهایی، حسین و ارزبین، فرید .(1389). بررسی جامعه شناختی الگوی مصرف لوازم آرایشی در میان دانشجویان دانشگاه آزاد واحد آستارا، تالش (غرب گیلان). فصلنامه تخصصی جامعه شناسی، 5(2)، 25-41.
مصرف سرانه پوشاک در ایران بیش از چین است .(27 فروردین 1394).ایرنا. بازیابی از http://www7.irna.ir/fa/News/81966981.
بودیار، ژان .(1390). جامعه مصرفی.ترجمه پیروز ایزدی، تهران: نشر ثالث.
 بوردیو، پییر .(1391). تمایز.ترجمه حسن چاوشیان،  تهران: نشر ثالث.
جدول واردات چرم مصنوعی از کشورهای مبدا در ده‌ساله ۸۲-۹۱. (۱۴ تیر، ۱۳۹۳). بازیابی از http://sanatekafsh.ir/post/6956 .
زمان‌زاده، حمید. (21خرداد،1390). پنج ‌دهه عملکرد تولید و رشد اقتصادی در ایران. روزنامه دنیای   اقتصاد،  شماره ۲۳۸۰.
 سج ویک،پیتر و ادکار،اندرو. (۱۳۸۷). مفاهیم بنیادی نظریه فرهنگی. ترجمه مهران مهاجر و محمد نبوی، تهران: آگه. ۲۴۳-۲۴۵.
شکوری، علی و غلامزاده نطنزی، امیر حسین. (1386). منش و سبک مصرف موسیقی: مطالعه موردی جوانان شهر تهران. مجله جهانی رسانه، 5(2): 52-70.
فاضلی، محمد .(1384). جامعه شناسی مصرف موسیقی. فصلنامه انجمن ایرانی مطالعات فرهنگی و ارتباطات، 1(4): 27- 53.
فاضلی، نعمت الله .(۱۳۹۳). تاریخ فرهنگی ایران مدرن: گفتارهایی در زمینه تحولات گفتمانی ایران امروز از منظر مطالعات فرهنگی. تهران: پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی.
فدرستون‏، مایک.(1380). زندگی قهرمانی و زندگی روزمره‏.ترجمه هاله لاجوردی، فصلنامه ارغنون. 19، 159-186.
فلیک، اووه (1388). درآمدی بر تحقیق کیفی.ترجمه هادی جلیلی، تهران: نشر نی.
گال، مردیت؛ بورگ، والتر و گال، جویس.(1384). روش‏های تحقیق کمی و کیفی در علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی (جلد دوم).ترجمه احمدرضا نصر و همکاران، تهران: سمت و انتشارات دانشگاه شهید بهشتی.
گیدنز، آنتونی .(۱۳۸۸). تجدد و تشخص: جامعه و هویت شخصی در عصر جدید(چاپ دوم).  ترجمه ناصر موفقیان، تهران: نشر نی.
لوپز، خوزه و اسکات، جان .(1385). ساخت نظریه اجتماعی. ترجمه حسین قاضیان، تهران، نشر نی.
محمدپور، احمد. (1389). ضد روش: منطق و طرح در روش‌شناسی کیفی (جلد1). تهران: جامعه‌شناسان.
مرکز آمار ایران .(۱۳۹۵). نتایج آمارگیری نیروی کار پاییز ۱۳۹۵.بازیابی از https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/Files/fulltext/1395/n_nank_95_3_v2.pdf
مهدوی، محمد صادق و عباسی اسفجیر، علی اصغر .(1389). بررسی میزان تمایل به مدیریت بدن و کنترل اندام و عوامل مؤثر بر آن. مجله تخصصی جامعه شناسی، 1(1): 131- 144.
مورت،‌ فرانک .(1393). خاص مردها؟ مردانگی، ‌مد و فرهنگ عمومی. در رابرت باکاک و کنت تامپسون، درآمدی بر فهم جامعه مدرن 3 (اشکال اجتماعی و فرهنگی مدرنیته). ترجمه کاظم فیروزمند، (215-220). تهران: نشر آگه.
نیکزاد، مهرداد .(1382). تحلیل اجتماعی کنش های مصرفی. نامه پژوهش فرهنگی، 8(7)، 181-212.
وبلن، تورستین .(1386). نظریه طبقه تن آسا .ترجمه فرهنگ ارشاد، تهران: نشر نی.
وزارت فرهنگ و ارشاد اسلامی (۱۳۹۵). یافته‌های پیمایش ملی ارزش‌های و نگر‌ش‌های ایرانیان: موج سوم (۱۳۹۴). تهران: پژوهشگاه فرهنگ، هنر و ارتباطات، دفتر طرح‌های ملی با همکاری مرکز ملی رصد اجتماعی.
وزیری، هاجر ؛ بهروان، حسین و یوسفی، علی (1391). مصرف نمایشی پوشاک و عوامل مؤثر بر آن (مورد مطالعه: دانش آموزان دبیرستانی شاهرود نمونه). علوم اجتماعی، 20: 183-198.
 
Abolhasan Tanhayi, H. & Arzbin, F. (2010). Sociological study of consumption patterns of cosmetics among Students of Azad university-Astara branch. Sociology Quarterly, 5 (2): 25-41. (Text in Persian)
Al‐Mutawa,F.S.(2013).Consumer‐generated representations: Muslim women recreating western luxury fashion brand meaning through consumption. Psychology & Marketing, 30(3): 236-246.
Alserhan, B.A., et al. (2015). Expressing herself through brands: the Arab woman’s perspective. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 17(1): 36-53.
Annual Consumption of Iran is more than China. (April 16, 2015). Irna. Retrived from http://www7.irna.ir/fa/News/81966981. (Text in Persian)
Becker, G. S. (1996). Accounting for tastes. Harvard University Press
Boden, S. (2003). Introduction: Consumerism, Romance and the Wedding Experience. In Consumerism, Romance and the Wedding Experience (pp. 1-22). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, Richard Nice, Trans. Harvard University Press. (Text in Persian)
Budrillard, J. (1998). The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. SAGE Publications. (Text in Persian)
Campbell, C. (1995). Conspicuous Confusion? A Critique of Veblen's Theory of Conspicuous Consumption. Sociological Theory, 13(1): 37-47.
Edgar,A.,Sedgwick,P.(2005).KEY CONCEPTS IN CULTURAL THEORY. Translated by M.Mohajer and M.Nabavi.london:ROUTLEDGE (Text in Persian).
Fazeli, M. (2005). Sociology of Music consumption. Iranian Association of cultural studies and communication, 1 (41): 27 – 53. (Text in Persian)
Fazeli, N. (2014). Cultural History of Modern Iran: essayes in modern Iran’s dicursive changes from the perspective of cultural studies. Tehran: Research Center fo Humanities and cultural studies. (Text in Persian).
Featherstone, M. (1992). The heroic life and everyday life.  ArqanoonQuarterly Journal , 19: 159-182. (Text in Persian)
Flick, U. (2006). Introduction to Qualitative Reseasrch (3edition)Translated byH.jalili. Sage Publications. (Text in Persian)
Gall, M. D., et al.  (1996). Educational research: An introduction (6th ed.) Translated by A.R.Nasr.,et al. England: Longman Publishing. (Text in Persian).
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Translated by N.Movaffaghiyan. Stanford University Press. (Text in Persian).
Hudders, L., et al. (2014). The rival wears Prada: Luxury consumption as a female competition strategy. Evolutionary Psychology, 12(3): 570-587.
     journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/147470491401200306
Illouz,E.(1997). Consuming the romantic utopia: Love and the cultural contradictions of capitalism. California: University of California Press.
Kivinen, D., et al. (2011). A Social and Economic Theory of Consumption.  K. Ilmonen, P. Sulkunen. & A. Warde(Eds). London:Palgrave Macmillan UK.
López, J. & Scott, J.  (2000). Social structure. Open University Press. (Text in Persian).
Mahdavi, M. S. & Abbasi Esfajid, A. A. (2010). Exploration of tendency to body management and control over body and its antecedents. Sociology, 1 (1): 131-144. (Text in Persian)
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (2016). Findings of national survey of values and attitudes of Iranians: third wave (2015). Tehran: National Projects Office of Research center for Culture, Art and Communication, in cooperation with National social monitoring center. (Text in Persian)
Mohammadpour, A. (2010). Anti-Method: Rationale and Design in Qualitative Methodology, Tehran: Jameeshenasan. (Text in Persian)
Mort,F.(1992). Boy’s Own? Masculinity, Style and Popular Culture by Kenneth Thompson and Robert Bocock (Eds),The Social and Cultural Forms of Modernity: Understanding Modern Societies, Book III. Translated by K.Firoozmand., et al. Cambridge:Polity. (Text in Persian)
Negrin, L. (2008).In Appearance and identity. Appearance and Identity (pp. 9-32). New York :Palgrave Macmillan.
Nikzad, M. (2003). Social Analysis of consumption actions. Annals of Cultural research, 8 (7): 181-212. (Text in Persian)
Ryan, M.T. (2007). Consumption. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp.701-705). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Shakouri, A. and Gholamzadeh Natanzi, A. H. (2007). Habitus and Music consumption style: A case study of Tehran Young People. Global Media Journal, 10, 52-70. (Text in Persian)
Simmel, G. (1957 [1904]). Fashion. American journal of sociology,62(6): 541-558.
Statistical Center of Iran (2016).A Selection of Labor Force Survey Results Autumn 1395 (22 September 20 December 2016). Retrived from https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/1/releases/LFS_Autumn_1395.pdf (Text in Persian)
Synthetic leather imports data of exporting countries in the decade (2014). Retrives from http://sanatekafsh.ir/post/6956. (Text in Persian)
Trigilia,C.(2002). Economic sociology: state, market, and society in modern capitalism. New York City: John Wiley & Sons.
Vaziri, H., Behravan, H. and Yousefi, A. (2012). Conspicuous Cinsumption of Garment and its Antecedants (The case of highschool students of Sharood), Social Science, 20: 183-198. (Text in Persian)
Veblen, T. (1912). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions, B.W. Huebsch. (Text in Persian).
Wang,Y. and Griskevicius,V. (2013). Conspicuous consumption, relationships, and rivals: Women's luxury products as signals to other women. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5): 834-854.
Warde,A.(2015).The Sociology of Consumption: Its Recent Development. Annual Review of Sociology ,41(1): 117-134.
Zamanzadeh, H. (2011). Five decades of production and economic development in Iran. Donyay-e- Eghtesad newspaper, No. 2380, 2011. (Text in Persian).
Zelizer, V.(2006). Culture and consumption. In N. J. Smelser & R. Swedberg (Eds.),The handbook of economic sociology (Second Edition,pp.331-354).Princeton university press.
Zhao, T., et al. (2017). Mating Goals Moderate Power’s Effect on Conspicuous Consumption Among Women. Evolutionary Psychology, 15(3), DOI:
10.1177/1474704917723912

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics