ABSTRACT

Getting Dressed teaches sociology through the everyday decision of what to wear. It is about the rules that shape how we dress and how and why we conform. It is about how and why we imitate others. We may think about clothing as our personal style and identity. But our personal style is not so personal; it is social, shaped and limited by countless social influences. We use clothes to rank and treat each other as better and worse. Yet we need each other to become who we are when getting dressed. This book is about what we wear, why we wear it, and why it matters.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|5 pages

The Public Nature of Personal Style

part |48 pages

Dressing by the Rules

chapter 2|6 pages

The Written Dress Codes

chapter 3|8 pages

The Unwritten Dress Codes

chapter 4|6 pages

How Much to Cover?

chapter 5|4 pages

Who Covers What When?

chapter 6|7 pages

How Much to Care?

chapter 7|4 pages

When to Challenge the Rules?

chapter 8|5 pages

How to Show Status?

chapter 9|6 pages

Inequality and Shopping for Clothes

part |42 pages

Dressing Like Others Do

chapter 10|9 pages

Following and Fitting In

chapter 11|4 pages

The Influencers

chapter 12|5 pages

The Industry

chapter 13|6 pages

Is Individuality Individual?

chapter 14|9 pages

Individuality in Lifestyles?

chapter 15|4 pages

Mashup

chapter 16|3 pages

Conclusion