American Material Culture Commons^™

Exploration Of The Perpetuating Fast Fashion Consumption Cycle: Young Women's Experiences In Pursuit Of An Ideal Self-Image, Leslie H. Simpson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of young women in emerging adulthood who consumed a large quantity of fast fashion apparel (in excess of 150 pieces annually). Using a phenomenological methodology, this study explored (a) the shopping experiences of the young women, (b) the meaning the young women attached to their clothing purchases, and (c) why the young women were buying large quantities of fast fashion.

Fourteen women between the ages of 19 and 25 from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States participated in the study. The research design ...

Fandom, Racism, And The Myth Of Diversity In The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ashley S. Richardson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently one of the most commercially successful entertainment brands in American popular culture, with a range of film franchises and television series under its banner. Although the brand maintains its popularity with various demographics, the casting choices in Doctor Strange (2017) generated controversy among Marvel fans and critics alike for excluding people of color or reducing them to villains and sidekicks. This thesis examines the online commentary surrounding the casting and marketing of Doctor Strange to evaluate how social media users on Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter come to understand race and gender through the Marvel ...

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 24, No. 4, Michael Moloney, Friedrich Krebs, Louis Winkler

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• Irish Folklife Studies: A Present-Day Appraisal
• Palatine Emigration Materials from the Neckar Valley, 1726-1766
• Pennsylvania German Astronomy and Astrology XII: Contemporary Almanacs
• Cider and Wine Production: Folk-Cultural Questionnaire No. 39

The Development And Use Of Bib Overalls In The United States, 1856-1945 , Ann Revenaugh Hemken

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

In the past, costume historians have expended much effort researching fashionable dress. Now scholars are gaining in awareness of the need to also study common, everyday dress. Much of the research done to date has focused on women's clothing, but that, too is changing, with the realization of the need to consider men's clothing. Not only are costume historians beginning to look at everyday clothing, but clothing manufacturers are also interested in learning about the history of their products, because this information can be applied to advertising campaigns and company promotional literature. Perhaps the findings will also shed ...

Barbie As Cultural Compass: Embodiment, Representation, And Resistance Surrounding The World’S Most Iconized Doll, Hannah Tulinski

Sociology Student Scholarship

Since 1959 the Barbie doll has held the status of cultural icon in American society. In the past six decades Barbie has dominated the toy industry as an unmatched competitor among girls’ dolls, generating approximately $1 billion in annual sales. Originally intended by her creator Ruth Handler to “allow girls to project their future self,” Barbie continues to remain a household name, and it has been estimated that each American girl owns an average of eight Barbie dolls (Newman 2013). As a cultural object, Barbie continues to re-enter the “human circuit of discourse” (Griswold 1987) with each changing public appearance ...

Historical Accuracy In Costume Design: Experiences And Perceptions Of Broadway Costume Designers, Sara Jablon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to systematically explore one aspect of costume design, the role of historical accuracy in American theater, according to contemporary Broadway costume designers. Using the grounded theory methodology, this study investigated the characteristics Broadway costume designers believe are essential for historical accuracy in costume design; the significance they place on historical accuracy for the success of the costume design; and how they approach and incorporate history into their costume designs of historically set productions. Sixteen Broadway costume designers were interviewed for this study. Based on the analysis of interview responses and guided by Hillestad's ...

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 18, No. 1, Carter W. Craigie, Robert D. Bethke, Mary Ellen Brown Lewis, Clarissa Smith, John D. Milner, George Valentine Massey Ii, A. P. Body, Don Yoder, Millard E. Gladfelter, Homer L. Kreider, Charles D. Spotts

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• Tanning in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1711-1850
• Chester County Widow Wills (1714-1800), A Folklife Source
• Folk Elements in Scotch-Irish Presbyterian Communities
• The Thomas Massey House
• Passengers on the Ketch "Endeavour"
• The Medical Plants of Berks County, Pennsylvania
• Notes and Documents: A Dunkard Love Feast ; Jacob Graeff's Reminiscences of Reading
• Symposium on the Pennsylvania Dutch Dialect
• Farm Dress: Folk-Cultural Questionnaire No. 9

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 46, No. 1, Jean-Paul Benowitz, John Lowry Ruth, Paula T. Hradkowsky, Monica Mutzbauer

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• The Mennonites of Pennsylvania: A House Divided
• "Not Only Tradition, but Truth": Legend and Myth Fragments Among Pennsylvania Mennonites
• Mennonite Women and Centuries of Change in America
• "It is Painful to Say Goodbye": A Mennonite Family in Europe and America

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 41, No. 1, Mary Lou Robson Fleming, Marianne Ruch, Steve Friesen, Robert P. Stevenson, Richard E. Wentz, Nancy K. Gaugler, Robin Clouser

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• Jacob Maentel: A Second Look
• The Five-Plate Stove Revisited
• The Life and Death of an Appalachian Farm
• Henry Harbaugh, Quintessential "Dutchman"
• In Memoriam: William T. Parsons, 1923-1991

Am I A Feminist? Narrative Fidelity In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’S 'We Should All Be Feminists', Nora K. Angus

PURE Insights

ABSTRACT

In this paper I analyze Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her TED Talk based off her book, “We Should All be Feminists.” Adichie is a Nigerian woman who has firsthand experience with feminist issues of inequality and she serves as a speaker and activist for issues of feminism and beyond. She is a renowned author, activist, academic, and a feminist. In hearing of her personal experiences regarding inequality, I realized I am able to identify parallels between her experiences and the inequalities which I have faced despite our vastly different origin stories. The importance of her work as a feminist ...