A Dilemma With Height: a Critical Review of Body Image and Clothing Choice For Men of Shorter Stature

Previous research (Andrew, 2005; Markee et al., 1990; Rudd & Lennon, 2000) has shown that many women are concerned about how they are perceived through the medium of dress and adornment by the public in general and significant others in particular. Tunaley et al. (1999: 743) points out that female sexual attractiveness is often perceived and judged by a culturally constructed ideal of beauty. With such perspective, it is important to understand the complex relationship between body image and clothing practice in different socio-cultural contexts. However, the majority of existing literature on body image (e.g., Borland and Akram, 2007; Davis, 1985; Howarton and Lee, 2010; Rahman, 2015) is primarily or exclusively focused on women. This could be due to the fact that men are perceived to be relatively less interested in clothing, and thus, less involved in shopping activities. Nevertheless, some studies (McCaulay et al., 1988; Mishkind et al., 1986) have found that male consumers are increasingly becoming more involved in their appearance and body physique. For example, they have expressed dissatisfactions and frustrations with parts of their bodies such as their biceps, shoulders, and chest (Cash et al., 1986; Furnham and Greaves, 1994). Furthermore, a number of studies (Bergeron and Tylka 2007; Martins et al. 2008; Tylka et al., 2005) report that muscularity and body fat indeed play a significant role in how men’s body images are judged in the United States and Australia. In order to conform to the muscular ideal, men often adopt various appearance-management strategies such as intensive exercise and weight training, cosmetic surgery, dietary regimes and daily grooming (Frith and Gleeson, 2004). All in order to change their present body image.

Citation:

Osmud Rahman and Henry Navarro Delgado (2017) ,"A Dilemma With Height: a Critical Review of Body Image and Clothing Choice For Men of Shorter Stature ", in LA - Latin American Advances in Consumer Research Volume 4, eds. Enrique P. Becerra, Ravindra Chitturi, and Maria Cecilia Henriquez Daza and Juan Carlos Londoño Roldan, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 22-23.