What should I wear? : a qualitative look at the impact of feminism and women_s communities on bisexual women_s appearance / Jennifer Taub

J. Taub

This article examines the effects of feminism and exposure to bisexual lesbian and women_s communities on bisexual women_s behavior, thoughts and feelings regarding beauty and appearance norms. Seventy-seven bisexual women participated in a qualitative survey addressing these issues. Sixty-two women responded to questions about the ways in which feminism has affected their beauty ideas and/or practices. Results showed that 73% (n = 45) of these respondents felt that feminism affected their beauty ideas and/or practices, with all but one woman citing positive influences. Seventy-six women responded to questions about the ways in which contact with women_s communities affected their beauty ideas and/or practices. Results showed that 59% (n = 45) of these respondents felt that contact with women_s communities has had an impact on their beauty ideas and/or practices. The majority of respondents (91%; n = 69) also felt that there are clear appearance norms or standards in women_s communities that differ from those of society at large. Themes from open-ended responses, specific examples and implications of findings are discussed.[Copies are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Center. The Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580, USA]