• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.313-326
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• 2018

Over the past few years, companies have started moving into specific niches in plus-size fashion. The purpose of this study was to verify the marketability of young plus-size clothes in the USA. Data were collected from female consumers aged from 20 to 39 who have experience of purchasing plus-size items. A total of 282 responses were used for statistical analysis. The research result is as follows. First, the obesity stress is affected more by the subjective obesity level than by the objective obesity level and by how people recognize their body types. Second, from an analysis of the factors affecting the shopping orientation of plus-size consumers, style consciousness, pursuing reasonable, emphasizing comfort, and body consciousness are found to be important factors. Third, even if responders are aware of their exact body size, they actively look for the correct size. Fourth, fit evaluation of plus-size products is based on the factors of size fit and movement fit. The respondents were unsatisfied with chest and arm measurements, which deviate widely by body type for tops. Fifth, the overall dissatisfaction with the plus-size market is attributed to the fact that the product assortment range from which to select styles is narrow, and trend reflection is low. Sixth, the respondents tended to avoid fabrics that make their body type more obvious, textures that give the impression of a larger body size, or stiff textures. These results show that the psychological and physical characteristics of obese consumers should be considered to develop products for the young plus-size market.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.75-92
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to prove how sociocultural perspective of obesity, differences in consumers' perception of body and attitudes of accepting obesity affected individuals' clothing behaviors through cross-cultural studies. The data collected were composed of 612 Korean and US consumers in the 20's and 30's that had experiences in purchasing plus-size products. The results were as follows. First, BMI index was lower in Korean consumers than the US consumers, but Korean consumers received more stress from being overweight compared to the US consumers, and had a more negative attitude about their body. Second, although Korean consumers had lower BMI index and degrees of obesity than US consumers, they were severely stressed by obesity and were found to have a higher level of dissatisfaction with their bodies. Third, Korean consumers responded more sensitively to obesity and had a tendency to display a more negative attitude regarding obesity, and a more passive dependence on clothing. Forth, differences in the body shape were reflected even in wearing evaluation, and US consumers showed a more positive attitude toward evaluations of size suitability and fitness. Fifth, the plus-size market for Korean consumers was still not active, and most products purchased were generic brands obtained from online shopping malls through the Internet. However, in the case of the US, in which the ratio of obese people is high and the plus-size market is growing, consumers were purchasing plus-size brands through various distribution online and offline channels. Sixth, Korean consumers were less satisfied than US consumers with shops, sizes and fitness; however, they were more satisfied with design factors. Finally, it is expected that this study can offer practical implications for marketers and product developers running plus-size market for young obese consumers in their 20 and 30s.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2015

This study analyzes the mechanism that explains how various service quality factors are related to consumer satisfaction when plus-size and regular-size women are engaged in fashion shopping. We constructed and tested service quality- perceived value-satisfaction model with size as a control variable. We defined plus-size women as those with a BMI over 25 and regular-size women below 25. Data were collected during April and May, 2012 and responses from 189 plus-size women and 246 regular-size women were used in the final analysis. The results are as follows. First, among service quality factors, attention was significantly related to perceived service value for both plus-size women and regular-size women. However, store facilities were significantly related to perceived service value for only plus-size women and kindness was significantly related to perceived service value only in the case of regular-size women. Second, perceived service value was significantly related to product satisfaction and service satisfaction for plus-size women and regular- size women. However a moderating effect was found between the groups where the influences of perceived service value on product satisfaction and service satisfaction in the case of plus-size women were greater than regular-size women. Third, in the case of regular-size women, service satisfaction was positively affected by product satisfaction. However, the relationship between them was not found in the case of plus-size women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.615-630
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• 2016

This study investigates the mediate effects of obesity stress on the relationship between the narcissism and clothing behavior related appearance. The subjects for the study were 322 women aged 20's-30's in an online survey. Data analyses were conducted with SPSS 18.0 program. The study results are as follows. First, clothing behavior and obesity stress of plus size consumers are more affected by perceived obesity than BMI, and covert narcissistic tendency is stronger than overt narcissistic tendency. Second, the factor analysis results on narcissistic tendency indicated 'self-enhancement narcissism', 'self-initiative narcissism', and 'other-dependent narcissism'. Third, 'self-enhancement narcissism' more influenced 'fashion orientation' versus the greater influence of 'self-initiative narcissism' and 'other-dependent narcissism' on 'depending on clothing'. Fourth, the narcissistic tendency perceived by plus size consumers affect 'depending on clothing' and 'fashion orientation' with obesity stress as the mediator. 'Self-enhancement narcissism' and 'self-initiative narcissism' are partially mediated by obesity stress, and 'other-dependent narcissism' are completely mediated and affect appearance management behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.37-49
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to identify preteen girls and their mothers' apparel image preference and apparel purchase behavior. This study was particularly interested in verifying the influencing factors of plus size preteen girls' apparel choice by investigating the correlations between preteens' physical characteristic and their apparel related variables. Data were obtained from the questionnaire by 190 preteen girls and 120 mothers. The influential power of preteens on apparel purchase decision was greater than that of their mothers, and their preferred apparel images were comfortable/neat, cute/girlish, and mature/chic. Comparing to preteen girls, their mothers preferred comfortable/neat and cute/girlish images to mature/chic apparel image. Their physical maturity levels were significantly correlated with apparel image preference. Moreover, plus size preteen girls' interests in appearance and clothing was higher than that of normal weight preteen girls, this implied potentiality in apparel market for plus size preteen.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1303-1314
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• 2009

The purpose of this study lies in examining the characteristics of differentiated body types for plus-size women and obtaining basic data for the wide-ranging choices of ready-made clothing in a consumer's place. The results of this study displayed no significant differences for subjects in their 30s and 40s in comparison to standards by ages but showed a significant difference with subjects in their 50s when compared with the data from Size Korea (2004). Research data in the height and length categories were lower, and the majority of data from the other categories were higher. In order to analyze the characteristics of a plus-size woman's body, 4 factors were differentiated into 3 types with 17 categories: Factor 1 was the element of the thickness of the trunk, factor 2 was the element of the thickness of the lower body and legs, factor 3 was the element of shoulder size and factor 4 was the element of the upper body length. The accumulation rate was shown to be 74.47%. The characteristics for each type were as follows: Type 1 is a body type with a relatively thin waist, small width and girth of upper body and curvy lower body, type 2 is the average body type, and type 3 is a body type with big breasts and abdominal obesity. The standard body type belonged to type 2. According to the correspondency test between age and type, the characteristics of type 1 corresponded relatively close to the measures of subjects in their 40s and relatively far from subjects in their 30s to 50s while type 2 and type 3 appeared to be similar to subjects in their 50s.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.12 s.159
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• pp.1714-1722
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• 2006

Women's perceptions of body size and body image are important topics for researchers in multiple fields. The terms body image or body self refer to perceptions and beliefs that an individual holds about his or her body (Rosenbaum, 1979; Schilder, 1953). Few studies have focused on body image perceptions as they relate to parent-child pairs. This study investigated the perceptions that mothers and daughters each had of their own body, the other's body, and their ideals for the same. The purposive sample used in this study consisted of 41 mother-daughter pairs. The sampled focus was girls between ages 9 and 14, and their mothers. Significant differences between how mothers saw their daughters and how daughters saw themselves emerged only for the plus size group. The clearest significant difference between mothers and daughters was in their dissatisfaction with themselves. The mothers were more dissatisfied. flus-size girls were significantly more dissatisfied with their mothers' bodies than normal size girls were with their mothers' bodies. The mothers of plus size girls were significantly more dissatisfied with their daughters' bodies than were the mothers of normal size daughters.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.46 no.9
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• pp.99-112
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• 2008

The increasing rate of obesity in school aged children has become a conspicuous social phenomenon in Korea. This has been linked to greater economic growth, increasingly westernized dietary habits, and a consumer driven society. Given that obesity can lead to social exclusion or unfavorable attention by other students in a school setting, the design of plus-size garments have become important for effective appearance management skills. This research aimed to establish a somatotype database for obese school boys, aged 10 to 12, in order to develop a sizing system for plus-size upper garments. In order to measure somatotype of average and obese school boys, five categories were recorded; height, obesity, length of trunk, thickness of neck and chest. For obese boys, subcutaneous fat thickness and position of B.P/shoulder point factors were recorded. Obesity factor was subdivided into overall and specific ones, and while the deviation of obese body types was severe compared to the average type. Obese body type showed significantly higher measurements in width, girth, thickness. This is linked to the fact that the frequency ratio of obesity increases with age. Stature and chest were chosen as control dimensions for boys' wear. As crosstabulation of stature(5cm interval) and chest girth(2, 3 and 4cm), and stature(5cm interval)/chest girth(3cm interval) sizing system showed, the most effective cover ratio and adaptability to the data distribution $25{\sim}75$ quartile. Based on the findings, 10 sizes were formulated for average body type, while 18 sizes were formulated for obese type, whose size cover ratios were 48% and 62.9%, respectively. The primary ranges of stature were $145cm{\sim}150cm$, while those of chest girth were $79{\sim}82cm$. Each size was declared as "chest-somatotype{A(average)/O(obesity)-stature". This study proposed a plus-size upper garment sizing systems for obese boys, accompanied with reference measurements for suit, casual wear and underwear. The finding showed that the two systems were totally separate and not overlapping, meaning that plus-size sizing system is essential for obese school boys. The obesity type system had more size and wider range specs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1689-1699
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• 2007

The purpose of the research was to explore clothing characteristics that tween girls(ages 9-14) consider important when deciding what to wear, as well as what the tween girls' mothers believe that their daughters value. The purposive sample consisted of 41 mother-daughter pairs recruited by $[TC]^2$ (Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation). Subjects were divided into younger(9-11) and older(12-14) normal- and plus-size groups based on Body Mass Index(BMI). There were significant differences between mothers and daughters in rating the importance of seven decision criteria concerning what to wear. The entire tween girls reported that clothes that fit well as the most important criteria in deciding what to wear. Clothes that were comfortable was the only criterion significantly related to the tween girls' body dissatisfaction scores. Mothers rated clothes that are the newest fashion and that friends would be wearing as being significantly more important than their daughters reported. There was a significant negative correlation between tween girls' body dissatisfaction scores and choosing clothes that are comfortable. Normal-size tweeen girls and their mothers differed significantly only when considering the newest fashion and what friends would be wearing. Plus-size tween girls and their mothers differed significantly for four criteria: fit, comfort, best looking, and what friends would be wearing. Both younger and older groups differed with mothers concerning what friends would be wearihng. Additionally, younger girls placed significantly more emphasis than their mothers fit. Older girls did not consider the newest fashion an important a decision criterion, but their mothers believed that they did.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2017

A comprehensive survey of the available literature showed that in the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the use of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). TPVs are the second largest group of soft thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) after styrene-based block copolymers, and offer a wide range of potential and proven applications, including in mechanical rubber goods, under-the-hood applications in the automotive field, industrial hose applications, electrical applications, consumer goods, and soft touch applications. Over the last two decades, TPVs have shown a strong and steady market growth (~12% per year). Commercialized TPVs are commonly based on blends of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber and polypropylene (PP), and to a lesser extent on combinations of butyl or nitrile rubber with PP. EPDM/PP TPVs are characterized by finely dispersed crosslinked EPDM rubber particles (particles size varying between 0.5 and $2.0{\mu}m$) distributed in a continuous thermoplastic PP matrix. If the rubber particles of such a blend are small enough and if they are vulcanized well enough, then the properties of the blend are generally improved. This review article introduces various topics and aspects relevant to EPDM/PP TPVs. The development of TPVs, the use of various types of crosslinking systems and co-agents as crosslinking agents for PP/EPDM blends, the morphology and rheology of TPVs, and their typical end-use applications are also reviewed.