International Journal of Costume and Fashion

The Korean Society of Costume (한국복식학회)
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Korean Gay Men's Daily Life and Fashion

  • Lee, Hana (Department of Human Ecology, Korea University Graduate School) ;
  • Lee, Yoon-Jung (Department of Home Economics Education, Korea University)
  • Received : 2016.12.08
  • Accepted : 2016.12.28
  • Published : 2016.12.31
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Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the daily lives of gay men and assess their interests in fashion and appearance management with the goal of better understanding the roles or meanings of fashion in their lives. In-depth interview method was adopted and the responses were analyzed qualitatively. Six homosexual men were interviewed, and the outcome of each conversation was recorded and analyzed; each man had a different background and thus showed different behavioral patterns. The life patterns distinct to Korean gays, the importance the highly patriarchal society places on family lineage and mandatory military service, for example, were discussed. Even though the interviewees asserted that their interests in fashion is not related to their sexual orientation, fashion was utilized as a means of self-expression by these gay men.

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References

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