Dressed to Disrupt: Motivations Behind Millennial Women Consuming Feminist Fashion

As many of you requested...

After months of being wayyyy too emotionally invested in my Dissertation, this is the final copy that I am super excited to share with you. Feel free to comment on the findings...

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to demystify the underlying motivations of the millennial women purchasing
feminist fashion, by identifying frequently occuring value chains. Following a means-end approach and
using in-depth laddered interviews of millennials who have actually purchased feminist fashion
commodities, this research found seven underlying values that drive their choice to consume feminist
fashion commodities. The ubiquitous ‘Girl Power’ narrative in fashion stores and online is unmissable. A
Fourth wave of feminism has descended onto the marketplace, fuelled by millennials who are using their
remarkable online connectivity and consumption habits to take a stand for social justice. Brands are
acknowledging the power of associating themselves with empowering female narratives, as a means to
expand markets and remain relevant to young consumers. The results offer qualitative insight into how
management should market fashion commodities with feminist signifiers, pointing towards a variety of
target segments: Educators, Rebels, Self-Expressors, Community Builders, Self-Esteem Seekers and
Helpers. Each segment is driven by a correlating underlying value including the desire to educate others
about feminism, rebellion in the face of society’s sexism, feeling a sense of belonging to a community,
self-esteem and supporting others. This study has identified that female millennial consumers purchasing
feminist commodities are not solely driven by the desire to present a positive image and/or the desire to
remain consistent with internal values, as presented by literature into prosocial behaviour (Kristofferson et
al., 2016). Instead, since the nature of feminist fashion commodities is controversial, millennial women
are also driven by the desire to disrupt the status quo.

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