• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.780-793
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• 2011

This study investigates the breast cathexis and brassiere design preferences of Chinese citizens living in Hong Kong in order to provide marketing intelligence for bra manufacturers whose target customers are from this group of potential customers. A questionnaire composed of questions concerning breast shape evaluations, brassiere design preferences, and brassiere purchase and wear practices was administered to 165 Hong Kong Chinese female undergraduates(N=165). For an analysis of our data, we used the SPSS program(version 14.0). The results indicate that a majority of Hong Kong Chinese female undergraduates perceive their breasts as 'slightly smaller than normal' (n=59, 35.8%) or 'normal'(n=78, 47.3%) in volume, and 'conical'(n=77, 46.7%) or 'flat'(n=46, 27.9%). The results also suggest that Hong Kong Chinese women possess positive breast cathexis, with only a third of the respondents reporting dissatisfaction with their breasts. Women with dome-shaped breasts expressed the most positive breast cathexis, followed by those with cone-shaped breasts. The results also show that Hong Kong Chinese typically purchase 2 brassieres per year, which is a lower purchasing rate than their counterparts in Korea(Cha & Sohn, 2010) and Taiwan(ICT Life Style Research Center, 2004). The findings also demonstrate that the preferred brassiere color is black(57%), unlike in Korea, where women prefer skin-colored brassieres.