Meaning of Clothing in Social Contexts : Emphasis on Korean Clothing, Study II

사회적 상호작응에서의 의복의 의미 (II) - 한복을 중심으로 -

The present research investigated perceptions of persons wearing Korean and Western clothing with reference to judgement of appropriateness of style in a variety of socially interacting contexts and relationship to social schemata and to general clothing interest. 180 male and 180 female students responded to open-ended and Likert-type questionnaires. The stimuli were 9 line drawings of male and female figures in traditional Korean and Western formal and informal attire. Data were analyzed by content analysis, frequency, percentage, and mean. Traditional Korean clothing was judged as inappropriate on the campus and in the office but appropriate in the ambiguous context. Korean traditional styles were related to person schemata, but Western styles were related to role schemata. Furthermore, Korean styles were considered to be 'impractical' and 'inactive.' A newly emerging perception of persons wearing Korean attire as 'individualistic' and 'radical activist' was discovered. Impressions of persons wearing traditional Korean clothing were partially related to subject's own clothing interest.