Historic

“Intelligent Shopping”: A Historical Exploration of Clothing Consumption Practices, 1922–1968

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Abstract

This study observes how clothing consumption practices have changed throughout the twentieth century in order to reexamine contemporary practices and issues surrounding sustainable clothing consumption. Using social practice theory as a guiding lens, this study is based on a content analysis of home economics textbooks focused on clothing between the years of 1922 and 1968, coinciding with major changes in U.S. history and shifts in women’s roles and consumerism at large. Throughout much of the twentieth century, millions of American high school and college students learned how to select, style, care for, and dispose of clothing through home economics courses, making these textbooks invaluable sources for studying everyday clothing practices. Our findings emphasize the importance of looking at consumerism through a more holistic view in which sustainable and non-sustainable consumer behavior is influenced by educational institutions, government organizations, media outlets, and other forces rather than focusing on individual decision-making.

Keywords: sustainabilitysocial practice theory, historical analysis, home economics, sustainability, social practice theory

How to Cite:

Idacavage, S. & Lyu, J., (2022) ““Intelligent Shopping”: A Historical Exploration of Clothing Consumption Practices, 1922–1968”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13691