Being seen in your pyjamas: the relationship between fashion, class, gender and space

Abstract

Over the last decade class has re-emerged as a significant concept within British sociology, with prominent academics calling for a more Bourdieuian approach which focuses on class distinctions in cultural practices and tastes. Within this discussion, several note the important role fashion plays as a means of class distinction, though few have fully explored just how the fashion–class relationship operates. Based on empirical research, carried out as part of qualitative study into fashion practices and fashion discourse, this article examines the fashion–class relationship, by considering its links to both gender and space. It argues that the way in which women judge visibility and public space differs with class status and that this, in turn, has significant implications for women's fashion choices, and more specifically, dressing up. Indeed, whilst middle-class participants tend to view almost any space as public and one in which they are visible, for working-class participants neighbourhood and local spaces are seen to constitute semi-private spaces, whose audiences' opinions and judgements do not matter. As a result, being dressed in your pyjamas is not deeply problematic for these working-class women in the context of their everyday lives, whilst for their middle-class counterparts being seen in your pyjamas is something which should be avoided, at all cost. Moreover, as the article demonstrates, the wearing of pyjamas is often considered by middle-class respondents as indicative of working classness. And thus, being seen in your pyjamas is undesirable on two counts.

Ser vistx en tus pijamas: la relación entre moda, clase, género y espacio

En la última década la clase ha surgido nuevamente como un concepto significativo dentro de la sociología británica, con importantes académicxs haciendo un llamado por un abordaje más bourdieuano que se centra sobre las distinciones de clase en las prácticas y los gustos culturales. Dentro de esta discusión, varios destacan el importante rol que juega la moda como una forma de distinción de clase, aunque pocos han explorado completamente cómo opera exactamente la relación moda-clase. Basándose en investigación empírica, llevada a cabo como parte de un estudio cualitativo sobre prácticas y discursos de la moda, este artículo analiza la relación moda-clase, considerando sus lazos con el género y con el espacio. Argumenta que la forma en que las mujeres juzgan la visibilidad y el espacio público difiere según el estatus de clase y que esto a su vez tiene importantes implicancias para las elecciones de moda de las mujeres, y más específicamente, el arreglarse. De hecho, mientras lxs participantes de clase media tienden a ver casi cualquier espacio como público, en el que son visibles, para lxs participantes de clase trabajadora los espacios de barrio y locales son vistos como espacios semiprivados, donde las opiniones y juicios ajenos no importan. Como resultado, ser visto en tus pijamas no es un gran problema para estas mujeres de clase trabajadora en el contexto de sus vidas cotidianas, mientras que para sus contrapartes de clase media ser vistas en sus pijamas es algo que debe ser evitado, a toda costa. Más aún, como el artículo demuestra, usar pijamas es a menudo considerado por lxs participantes de clase media como un indicativo de cierta pertenencia a la clase trabajadora. Y por ende, ser visto en tus pijamas es doblemente no deseable.

被看见穿着睡衣：时尚、阶级、性别与空间之间的关联性

过去十年来，在英国社会学中，阶级重新浮现作为显着的概念，而重要的学术界，亦号召更进一步採用关注文化实践和品味中的阶级界分的布迪厄式研究取径。此般讨论中，部分指出时尚作为阶级界分的方法，但却鲜少能够充分探讨时尚—阶级的关係如何运作。本文根据针对时尚实践与论述的部分质性研究之经验研究，透过考量时尚—阶级关係与性别及空间的连结，检视此一关係。本文主张，女性评价能见度和公共空间的方式，与阶级身份有所不同，而这也进而对女性的时尚选择、特别是穿着打扮，有着显着的意涵。中产阶级的研究参与者，的确倾向将近乎任何空间都视为公共空间，而他们在这些空间中能够被看见；但对工人阶级的研究参与者而言，邻里与在地空间，则被认为构成了半私人的空间，而其阅听众的观点和评价则没有任何意义。因此，对这些工人阶级女性而言，在她们的日常生活中穿着睡衣，并不是什麽严重的问题，但对于中产阶级对照组而言，被看见穿着睡衣，则是必须尽其所能去杜绝的行为。更进一步而言，如本文所示，穿着睡衣，经常被中产阶级的受访者视为“工人阶级性”的指标。因此，被看见穿着睡衣，在这两层意义上是不受欢迎的。

Keywords:

• class
• gender
• fashion
• performance
• space
• visibility

Palabras claves:

• género
• clase
• moda
• performance
• espacio
• visibilidad

关键词::

• 阶级
• 性别
• 时尚
• 展演
• 空间
• 能见度

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all of the participants who took part in this study, and for their openness and willingness to discuss their fashion practices and attitudes. I would also like to thank Isabel Crowhurst and Sonya Sharma for their helpful comments on the initial drafts of this paper, and for all the reviewers’ contributions and helpful direction.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^1. Though there is an imbalance between the numbers of working-class and middle-class participants in this study, this was largely because respondents were not asked directly about their class location or occupation before they were recruited to the project.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katherine Appleford

Katherine Appleford is a lecturer in Sociology and Cultural and Historical Studies at Kingston University London and the London College of Fashion. Her research looks at the relationship between fashion and class for British women today. It identifies key class distinctions in relation to perceptions of public space and notions of femininity and important differences in women's attitudes towards fashion and their buying practices. In addition, the research highlights the importance of the mother–daughter relationship in cultivating classed tastes and fashion habitus, and notes both the unconscious and long-lasting nature of early learning.