ABSTRACT
As a starting point for our review of gender literature in marketing and consumer behavior, we have chosen Sidney J. Levy’s “Symbols for Sale” (1959). Levy opens a thoughtful section of this classic article by stating, “One of the most basic dimensions of symbolism is gender” (p. 72). Also in 1959, the famous Broadway musical West Side Story expanded to a full tour of the United States. The female lead, Maria, carried out her role in the play as the classic ingénue. We contend that, in many ways, research on gender and consumption has played out its role as ingénue in the marketing and consumer behavior literature over the last 50 years, emerging finally in the past decade as less naïve, more independent, more adult, and more secure.
