Catherine Amoroso Leslie

Appearance Cues and the Shootings at Columbine High: Construction of a Social Problem in the Print Media

In this study, we used an interpretive approach to examine print media (newspaper) representations of the relationship between appearance and the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. Our work was guided by the social constructionist definition of a social problem. Grounded theory analyses revealed that both primary and secondary claims-makers staged claims and/or counterclaims contributing to the construction of Columbine as an appearance-linked social problem. The content and form of these claims varied according to the stage in the construction of the problem. Further, although both primary and secondary claims were made with respect to the conceptualization of the problem, an explanation for it, and solutions to it, the roles of primary and secondary claims-makers in constructing the problem varied. Implications of claims made within the media and related to the role of appearance in the shootings are considered, and a call is made for future work in this area.

Extent and Nature of Sexual Harassment in the Fashion Retail Workplace: 10 Years Later

Sexual harassment continues to be a pervasive and costly problem for businesses, government, and educational institutions. In the past 15 years, workplace sexual harassment has become prominent in the public consciousness. In fashion retailing, an industry with a large number of young, unmarried female employees and relatively large power differentials between organizational levels, sexual harassment is an important issue. The purpose of this study was to replicate Workmans 1993 article “Extent and Nature of Sexual Harassment in the Fashion Retail Workplace.” The same instrument was administered to 144 female clothing and textile students at a large state university. One hundred six participants (73.6%) had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassing behavior. This was consistent with Workmans finding of 73.5%. In the majority of the variables tested, very little had changed between 1993 and 2003.

An Analysis of Individual and Institutional Contributions to the Fashion Marketing Forum From 2004 to 2014

The purpose of this study was twofold: to define the fashion marketing forum - a collection of publication outlets where fashion marketing scholars can effectively exchange ideas, learn from each other’s work, and maximize contribution to the field - and to analyze the contributions of individuals and institutions to the fashion marketing forum. For the first purpose, a select group of fashion marketing scholars was contacted in order to identify a list of 14 journals, which could define the fashion marketing forum. For the second purpose, the defined forum was reviewed from 2004 to 2014, utilizing established methodology. Specifically, a total of 992 fashion marketing articles were identified, reviewed, and coded for authorship and institutional affiliation, and then analyzed based on four different measures designed to control the various factors. The results of this study provide a current snapshot of publishing activity in the field of fashion marketing.

Dress, self-esteem, self-efficiency and the academic achievement of African-American high school girls

Dress, the self, and education are vital parts of the African-American adolescent way of life. It has been said that African-Americans, in general, spend more of their resources on clothing accessories, and other body adornments (such as hair), than any other race of people. As dress is so important to this population, we discuss how African-American adolescent girls self-esteem, self-efficacy, and academic achievement are affected by dress. We further confer how dress has affected individual and peer acceptance, teacher and peer expectations, school performance, behavioral issues, and crime issues. The implementation of uniforms into the public school sector is discussed to expose the proposed benefits and criticisms from school officials, students, and parents. Lastly, we argue the theoretical views that must be considered when studying dress as it relates to the self and education of African-American adolescent girls.