Constructing and Presenting the Self Through Private Sphere Dress

The purpose of this interpretive study was to explore how Saudi Arabian women construct and present the self through their choice of dress for the private sphere. The work was situated within the interactionist and dramaturgical traditions. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 15 Saudi Arabian women and were analyzed using constant comparison processes. Analyses revealed three key themes related to Saudi women’s use of private sphere dress to construct and present the self: (a) conceptualizing the desired self, (b) making sense of the marketplace: the role of traditional and Western dress in mobilizing desired selves, and (c) looking glasses: the role of others in mobilizing desired selves. Findings revealed that as they presented the self through dress within the private sphere, Saudi women engaged in a complex process of navigating Islamic teachings and Saudi cultural conventions, shifting cultural mores, and the diverse expectations of others.

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