Women choose designer labels if they feel ignored
BEEN forgotten by your friends or passed over for a promotion? You may find solace in retail therapy – but only the most expensive sort.
Women who feel ignored are, it seems, more likely to pick highend labels such as Armani and Versace over high street options such Topshop and H&M.
A study found that those who feel overlooked seek attention by buying branded designer clothes from names such as Gucci, Dior and Prada.
The U.S. researchers discovered that when an individual’s need for ‘a meaningful existence’ is threatened, they tend to act in provocative and attention-seeking ways to reaffirm their sense of belonging in society.
Or in other words, they splash out on Dolce & Gabbana rather than Marks & Spencer to ensure they are noticed.
And the flashier the outfit, the better, with women engaging in showy displays of consumption to get attention – and many falling into the trap of buying only branded clothes from wellknown labels.
The researchers, from the universities of Houston-clear Lake and Texas, conducted four experiments which were designed to leave those taking part feeling either ignored or rejected. One group was asked to remember their own real-life experiences of social rejection. Another was made to feel ignored in exchanges simulated by the researchers.
Afterwards, the participants took surveys designed to assess behavioural intentions and actual behaviour.
The results showed that those who felt they were being ignored displayed a preference for flashier clothing with obvious brand logos. And being ignored did not make them more considerate or more willing to volunteer or donate money.
However, the participants who felt rejected had no interest in branded clothing, but did show an increase in pro-social, charitable behaviour.
The study’s authors, Professor Jaehoon Lee and Professor L Shrum, said: ‘The need to belong is considered to be universal across cultures, and in fact, cultures themselves may reflect the need to belong.
‘One need only look at the clothing of college students, much of which displays affiliation through school logos and colours, to see its magnitude.’