▼ The purpose of this study was to explore current perceptions of tattoos as fashion, with application and analysis of the social change theory as the research framework. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to analyze current levels of social acceptance of tattoos and perceptions of tattoos as fashion phenomena. Participants were recruited through purposeful convenience sampling from Midwestern and Western regions of the United States. A total of 212 surveys were collected from 46 men and 166 women; 62 members of the sample had at least one tattoo and 150 had no tattoos. While recognition of social change with respect to tattoos was documented, and evidence of tattoos as a fashion phenomenon emerged, this study supports the notion that social influences restricting tattoo acceptance as a mainstream fashion continue to exist. Among this sample population, tattoos are perceived as fashion objects; however, there are complexities in the way that tattoos reflect fashion, largely due to their permanency on bodies. The overarching theme, emergent from qualitative survey data, addressing the acceptance of tattoos and their status as fashion items was visibility. A substantial portion of respondents, both tattooed and non-tattooed, indicated that the ability to modify appearance, either to display or hide tattoos, was an important factor in tattoo consumption. This desire to modify personal adornment, through choice to "wear" a tattoo (i.e. visibly display the tattoo), reflects the flexible, discretionary, and temporary aspects of fashion. Related to respondents' desires or preferences for appearance modification, personal roles and symbolic communication were referenced. Predominantly, tattoos were labeled as inappropriate in professional settings; however, tattoos were noted by participants as acceptable in certain groups including celebrities, bikers, music artists, and athletes. Using t-tests to compare tattooed and non-tattooed participants, significant differences were found in levels of tattoo fashionability, levels of tattoo acceptability, and perceptions of tattoo consumption as a good use of money. Tattooed participants considered themselves significantly more knowledgeable about tattoos than the non-tattooed participants. No differences were observed between the two groups with respect to perceptions of observed changes in social acceptance of tattoos during their lifetimes. Respondents in the two groups did not exhibit significantly different political orientations nor were there differences between the two groups with respect to influence of religion and influence of political beliefs on tattoos. Sixty-nine percent of the tattooed respondents confirmed that they view their tattoos as fashionable although their reasons are varied and somewhat ambiguous. Using t-tests to compare male and female respondents, three items were significantly different by sex. Females believed more strongly than males that tattoos are appropriate only on certain body parts. Males believed more strongly than females that tattoos are acceptable in their religious beliefs, and the political orientations of males and females in this population sample were significantly different. Males were more conservative and females were more liberal. This study provides insight into topics for future research related to social changes affecting tattoo acceptance and the role of tattoos as fashion. This study was limited to primarily young adult, Caucasian participants with some college education, thus the results cannot be generalized across populations. Future analysis surveying more diverse populations in terms of ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status, religion, and political affiliation should be conducted to better understand the phenomena of tattoos as fashion in a broader context. Additionally, further exploration of sex and age differences would provide greater insight into the social change of tattoos, both in terms of tattoo acceptance and tattoos as fashion items. Advisors/Committee Members: Paulins, Ann.

▼ The purpose of this study was to explore how preadolescent females and their mothers navigate and negotiate the wardrobes of the girls. The preadolescent consumer is an important market; in the United States there are 10.3 million female girls between the ages of 10 and 14 (US Census Bureau, 2005), often referred to as "tweens" (Linn, 2004). This tween market is one of the most desired markets to penetrate for a number of reasons: its spending power, its ability to set trends, its receptivity to new products, and its potential to produce lifetime customers (Bush, Martin & Bush, 2004). The following research questions were explored in this study: • What is the perceived closeness of the relationship between mothers and their preadolescent daughters? • What role does a mother play in influencing fashion choices of her daughter? • What are the relative levels of fashion activity between mothers and daughters? • What do preadolescents think is important about their wardrobe and fashion choices? • What influences preadolescent girls when making fashion choices? • How do mothers and daughters negotiate decisions about what fashions the preadolescent wears? Negotiation of clothing and wardrobe between mothers and daughters occurs both at home and while shopping. Two general areas of conflict between mothers and daughters while negotiating fashion choices emerged: (a) a specific trendy style and (b) issues surrounding modesty. Both mothers and daughters reported close relationships with one another. Mothers and daughters agreed that daughters recognize the mothers' influence when it comes to fashion choices. However, the mothers' role of influence was identified as fashion gatekeeper, such as approving clothing that is age-appropriate. Other influences on preadolescent fashion choices are friends, fashion media, and sisters. Additionally, opportunities for future research were identified through paradoxical data generated in this study. When presenting information about their fashion decision making, daughters reported that they make their fashion choices based on what they like, but also reported through explanation of their preferred styles that they look for styles similar to that of their friends. This was substantiated by both daughter and mother reports with respect to seeking the approval of the mothers. Advisors/Committee Members: Paulins, Ann.

▼ The purpose of this paper was to understand the nature, or the mindset, pertaining to women that were the leading consumer base during World War II regarding the years between 1935 to 1945. The theoretical framework in the research is used to illustrate the motives behind female consumer behavior during this time period; one of the theories included Harry Triandis's theory of interpersonal behavior which is comprised of social behavior relations involving the consumer field. Solomon Asch's theory of conformity is also utilized in this study to demonstrate the context of cultural influences among the participants. The focus of the research was on the purchases of propaganda textiles which consist of any clothing item or cloth that adorned the body that had political or military inspiration. This study included a mixed methods analysis containing a holistic view that encompassed past and present explanations that surround cultural influence pertaining to consumerism, then subsequently relating these theories and ideas to a past cultural experiences concentrating on World War II. It was found that the participants did support propaganda textiles on a small scale; for example, buying USO scarves, even though the women did not refer to these items as propaganda textiles. Fashion choices relating to conformity of what their peers were wearing, such as the use of leg paint, as well as certain items being rationed during the war were significant themes that emerged from the respondents interviewed. This research provides further comprehension into future studies relating to fashion and times of conflict or war pertaining to women. This study was limited to women living mostly in the South-East Ohio region. Further study would include women from more geographical diverse areas as well as researching different generations of women during times of conflict. Advisors/Committee Members: Cone, Schuyler.

▼ Appearance management and dress clearly extend beyond the bounds of clothing, to anything that is worn on the body that individuals use to construct the visual self, including tanned skin. A risky appearance management technique because of its required exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation, tanning can result in life-threatening health conditions such as skin cancer, as well as undesirable appearance outcomes such as skin spots and premature wrinkles. Thus, insight into tanning motives could present catalysts for behavior change as well as identification of barriers to behavior change. The following research questions were explored through five in-depth interviews that resulted in qualitative data: 1. Do women introduce reference comparison individuals or groups in their indoor tanning practices that are reflective of social comparison theory? 2. Do women who engage in habitual indoor tanning practices see/use the outcome (tanned appearance) to develop or combat social anxiety, low self-esteem, and poor body image? If so, how? 3. Does a relationship between life span and habitual indoor tanning practices exist? 4. What, if any, influence do adult women's lifestyles play in their use of habitual indoor tanning? 5. What barriers exist that prevent behavior change with respect to the use of indoor tanning as a type of appearance management? Content analysis served as the method of analysis, with six overarching themes emerging:self-esteem, satisfaction with appearance, occupation, desire to curb the aging process, and disregard of health risks. The emergent themes harvested from this study present a strong foundation for understanding motives of women who habitually participate in the activity of indoor tanning. This exploratory research provides insight from women themselves who demonstrated repetitive appearance management regimens that result in positive social comparisons in spite of known long-term risks, both to appearance and health. Advisors/Committee Members: Paulins, Ann.

▼ The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mother and daughter pairs with respect to fashion influence. Because no prior research has explored fashion influences between late adolescent/early adult women and their mothers, this population was selected. A mixed method approach was used to investigate the following research questions: •How do mothers of late adolescent/early adult women influence their daughters' fashion styles? •How do late adolescent/early adult daughters influence their mothers' fashion styles? •What is the relationship between: Fashion Leadership, Fashion Involvement, Opinion Leadership and Opinion Seeking with respect to intergenerational style influences of mother/daughter pairs? Mothers and daughters completed surveys that generated data to measure Fashion Involvement (Tigert, Ring, & King, 1976), Fashion Leadership (Goldsmith, Freiden, & Kilsheimer, 1993), and Opinion Leadership and Information Seeking (Reynolds & Darden, 1971) with modified questions to explore mother/daughter influences in the context of fashion. In addition, subjects provided qualitative data for exploratory analysis. Results showed that mothers and daughters agreed on the level of fashion influence that mothers have on daughters, but daughters perceived that they had more fashion influence on mothers than mothers reported. Additionally, levels of Fashion Involvement, Fashion Leadership, and Opinion Leadership were statistically significantly different between mothers and daughters, with daughters possessing higher levels of each. Mothers and daughters possessed similar levels of Information Seeking though qualitative analysis revealed that the type of information sought from one another was different. Mothers tended to seek style information from their daughters whereas daughters looked to their mothers for advice on price, fit, and appropriateness of clothing for specific events. This study supports the notion that roles of mothers and daughters transform as daughters move through late adolescence/early adulthood with respect to influence in fashion style, though mothers retain a nurturing role while daughters emerge as opinion leaders. Advisors/Committee Members: Paulins, Ann.

▼ The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of college students' attitudes toward fashion counterfeits on their purchase intentions. Additionally, this study explored how college students' attitudes toward fashion counterfeits are affected by past purchase experience and personality traits, such as fashion consciousness, public self-consciousness, ethical obligation, and ethical judgment using the Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical framework. A total of 341 completed surveys were collected from students at a Midwestern University in the U.S. One-way ANOVA, independent t-test, regression, and correlation analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Statistical results suggest that college students' purchase intentions of fashion counterfeits are dependent on their attitudes toward fashion counterfeits, which in turn are influenced by their past purchase experiences, their beliefs about the benefits and risks of buying fashion counterfeits, and their ethical judgment. Ethical obligation, however, does not have a significant influence on attitude. Advisors/Committee Members: Xu, Yingjiao.

▼ The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of stress and external impulse trigger cues on impulse buying online with the theory of Symbolic Self-Completion as the research framework. Quantitative methods were employed in order to accurately analyze the relationship between each variable. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from a Midwestern University in the United States. A total of 156 surveys were collected all from female participants. The survey was all done online so as to accurately reflect online shopping. Deception was used in order to induce minor stress and threat to participants' self-concept which was directly followed by the impulse tendency images. Material Values and Extrinsic Contingency Focus were measured as they were used to see the moderating effects they had on impulse tendency. The overall results, resulting from the quantitative data of the survey, were that stress did in fact impact impulse tendency but was a delayed reaction. The delayed reaction resulted in only the second image being used for impulse buying. The order of the images was randomly assigned. It was also evident that the impulse cues ideas and suggestions were more effective than the impulse cues sales and promotions. In addition to the main findings, the results show that the younger participants are overall more impulsive. This verifies previous research findings and assumptions of this research. Advisors/Committee Members: Kwak, Lynn.

▼ An exploratory study about the influence celebrities have on young adults, with regards to fashion, was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Participants were recruited from Ohio University courses, and a total of 481 usable surveys were collected, with 120 male participants and 361 female participants. The subjects in this study confirmed, through survey responses, that celebrities set appearance standards through their highly visible lives that are portrayed in the media. It was evident that, because the general population is not exposed to celebrities face to face, media outlets allow the celebrities to become highly visible. Actors and musicians were the two categories most often listed by subjects as influential celebrities. Two themes emerged that support the notion of celebrity influence and the manner to which their influence occurs: (a) celebrities are viewed as role models and (b) celebrity lives are desirable and envied because they are associated with wealth, power, and fame. In fact young adults view celebrities as role models to the extent that they are influenced not only with fashion choices, but also in the adoption of non-fashion items such as, food, cars, electronics, drugs, and alcohol. Additionally celebrity behaviors, particularly language, emerged as areas of influences for college men and women in this sample. Both similarities and differences were observed between men and women with respect to the way celebrities influence them. Although the levels of reported influence were generally similar, women consistently reported significantly higher levels of perceived celebrity influence than men. Male respondents more frequently mentioned athletes as an influence than female respondents, and female respondents mentioned reality television people more often than men. There was a general agreement between both men and women, though, regarding which specific celebrities were most influential. In addition to providing insight about the way celebrities influence college age men and women, topics worthy of exploration in future research were revealed. Specifically, this information provides insight into the role of celebrities as endorsers for clothing or brands. Marketers, retailers and brands can use this information to determine effective ways to reach their target customers. Advisors/Committee Members: Paulins, V. Ann.