Chih-Ling Liu

Who am I to you? A phenomeiiological study of romance, sense of self and the experience of cosmetics consumption

Many theorists agree that a major determinant of self-construction is dependent upon significant others, which leads to a critical self-evaluation (Mead 1934; Sullivan 1953; Chen, Boucher et al. 2006). Additionally, Belk’s (1988) notion of the extended self indicates our possessions are a key contributor to and reflection of our sense of self. Thus ‘the self’ is fundamentally relational to both specific others, e.g. XX, and objects, e.g., cosmetics use. Sense of self, including thoughts, feelings, motives and self-regulatory strategies, alters in response to relations with significant others (Chen, Boucher et al. 2006). Romantic partners are one of the closest adult relationships and play a crucial part in most adults’ lives (Berscheid and Reis 1998). Past literature focused primarily on the destructive impact of breakup on human emotional well-being (Davis, Shaver et al. 2003; Sbarra 2006). However, less research has focused on examining changes in the self during an ongoing romantic relationship and strategies individuals use to regulate their states of affect and subsequent goals (such as relationships with objects, e.g. cosmetics as a means of XX). Given the importance of a romantic relationship on sense of self (Monroe, Rohde et al. 1999; Sbarra 2006), studying ways that individuals’ selves change over the course of a romantic relationship and the strategies exploited to facilitate/underpin these changes will yield an enhanced appreciation of the dynamics of self within a relational context (Slotter, Gardner et al. 2010). This research aims to provide a holistic understanding of changes in the self in relation to a significant or potential other partnership and how cosmetics are used strategically to reflect or protect varying aspects of the self.