Freedom in Dress: A Search for Related Factors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to begin to identify measurable factors that are associated with a feeling of freedom in dress. Responses to a questionnaire by 71 undergraduate women at a mid western university indicated: (1) their subjective feeling of freedom in dress; (2) the extent to which socioeconomic factors restricted their choices of clothing; and (3) their levels of perception of cloth ing indicated by free association verbal responses to slides. A t‐test comparing the difference of means between those who felt more free and those who felt less free identified three social restrictions significantly associated with a feeling of freedom in dress. Those less free were much more likely to be restricted in their choices of clothing because of their roles as students, their lack of self‐confi dence in choosing their own clothing, and their dissatisfaction with previous clothing choices.