Buying Clothes in Brazil
First and foremost, apparel and accessories serve functional purposes. They keep us warm when it is cold outside and they protect our bodies from the elements. Beyond these functional aspects, clothes form a 'vestimentary sign system,' following the terminology used by Roland Barthes in his book, The Fashion System. Clothing can vary according to many features. Barthes cites the work by Kroeber on the variation of women's evening wear by (1) the length of the skirt; (2) the height of the waistline; (3) the depth of the neckline; (4) the width of the skirt; (5) the width of the waist; (6) the width of the neckline. Following no objectively discernible logic, these features change over time according to the fashion of that season. The choice of clothing becomes a sign of disposible income, social class, lifestyle, tastes, Weltanschauung, etc. In this context, the fashion system becomes a means to control --- the enhancement and the legitimation of the fashionable on one side, the disqualification and delegitimation of the unfashionable to the other side of the divide.
We will now cite some survey data from the TGI Brazil study. Within this study, 5,995 women between the ages of 12 and 64 years old were interviewed. According to this study, 73% of these women have purchased women's apparel and accessories in the past 12 months. The next table shows the breakdown of the purchase incidence by demographic groups. By age, the only group that appears to be significantly lower are the older women. By social-economic level, the incidences increases up the classes, reflecting both the ability and the perceived needs to purchase clothing.
| Demographic Group | % purchased women's apparel/accessories in past 12 months |
| Age 12-19 years 20-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years |
74% 75% 75% 70% 76% 65% |
| Socio-economic Level AB C DE |
81% 74% 64% |
A more interesting question is the type of clothing that are being purchased. The next table shows the incidences of purchase by socio-economic level for various types of apparel and accessories. Underneath each percentage, we have placed an index in parenthesis. This index is defined as 100 times the incidence in that group divided by the incidence for all women. An index of 100 means that this group has exactly the same incidence as all women. An index greater than 100 means that this group has higher incidence, and an index of less than 100 means that this group has lower incidence. The list of items have been sorted by their indices among the AB women.
| Women's Apparel and Accessories |
% purchased by all women |
% purchased by AB women |
% purchased by C women |
% purchased by DE women |
| Exercise clothing | 6.7% (100) |
14.9% (221) |
4.7% (70) |
1.0% (15) |
| Bathing suit | 13.7% (100) |
28.0% (204) |
9.3% (68) |
4.7% (34) |
| Exercise shirts | 9.0% (100) |
16.4% (183) |
8.0% (89) |
2.8% (31) |
| Blouse | 12.0% (100) |
21.9% (183) |
8.8% (73) |
5.9% (49) |
| Two-piece suit | 6.2% (100) |
100.2% (165) |
4.9% (80) |
3.7% (60) |
| Hat | 4.2% (100) |
6.9% (164) |
2.8% (66) |
3.3% (77) |
| Pantyhose/stockings | 25.9% (100) |
39.9% (154) |
24.3% (94) |
13.7% (53) |
| T-shirt/undershirt | 27.6% (100) |
41.5% (150) |
25.8% (94) |
15.9% (58) |
| Lingerie | 23.1% (100) |
34.4% (149) |
22.7% (98) |
12.5% (54) |
| Dresses | 31.0% (100) |
44.4% (143) |
27.8% (90) |
21.4% (69) |
| Socks | 29.8% (100) |
42.6% (143) |
28.9% (97) |
18.3% (61) |
| Brassieres | 43.0% (100) |
59.2% (138) |
41.4% (96) |
29.0% (67) |
| Pants | 42.2% (100) |
57.1% (136) |
42.2% (100) |
27.3% (65) |
| Shoes | 48.0% (100) |
63.7% (133) |
46.4% (97) |
34.4% (72) |
| Shirts | 43.6% (100) |
57.1% (131) |
43.9% (101) |
30.0% (69) |
| Skirts | 33.1% (100) |
41.8% (126) |
31.2% (94) |
26.7% (81) |
| Panties | 52.3% (100) |
65.1% (124) |
50.9% (97) |
41.2% (79) |
| Work clothes | 11.7% (100) |
13.6% (116) |
11.9% (101) |
9.8% (83) |
Across all types of apparel and accessories, without any exception, purchase incidences increase with socio-economic level. The extreme examples are interesting --- the largest differences occur for exercise wear, obviously indicating that physical exercises may be a luxury that only those with ample leisure time can indulge in, whereas the smallest difference occurs for work clothes, which may be essential to the poor.
There are some attitudinal differences among the classes too. According to the results in the next table, the experience of clothes shopping seemed to be enjoyed by all classes, but upper class women are more fashion-conscious and less price-sensitive.
| Attitudinal statements | % Agreed by all women |
% Agreed by AB women |
% Agreed by C women |
% Agreed by DE women |
| I really like clothes shopping | 69.3% (100) |
71.8% (104) |
67.6% (98) |
68.8% (99) |
| I try to keep up to date with changing styles and fashions | 40.3% (100) |
45.7% (114) |
39.0% (97) |
36.4% (90) |
| I look for the lowest prices when I shop | 76.0% (100) |
71.3% (94) |
76.9% (101) |
79.7% (105) |
The survey results here is consistent with Bourdieu's analysis of class tastes and life-styles: "The submission to necessity which inclines working-class people to a pragmatic, functionalist 'aesthetic', refusing the gratuity and futility of formal exercises and of every form of art for art's sake, is also the principle of all the choices of daily existence and of an art of living which rejects specifically aesthetic intentions as aberrations ... The doubly prudent choice of a garment that is both 'simple' ('versatile', 'all-purpose'), i.e., as little marked and as unrisky as possible ('no-nonsense', 'practical'), and 'good value for the money', i.e., cheap and long-lasting, no doubt presents itself as the most reasonable strategy, given, on the one hand, the economic and cultural capital (not to mention time) that can be invested in buying clothes and, on the other hand, the symbolic profits that can be expected from such an investment (at least at work --- unlike clerical workers, for example)." (from Pierre Bourdieu (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of Taste. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)
(posted by Roland Soong, 7/26/2001)
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