1. Introduction
In today's societies, the face and physical appearance are of great importance, especially for women, and women invest a lot in their physical features. Young women and girls do this to some extent to attract the attention of others and internalize such standards (Engelen, 2017). Today, young women think that if their beauty is far from the existing ideals, they can fill this gap and change their appearance with the help of fashion and cosmetics (John and Lee, 2005). The fashion industry opens new doors to its followers every day; doors full of new colors and designs for those who like to be fashionable (El-Bassuny, 2018).In today's world, social networks, international media, transnational cultural productions, and consumerist lifestyles are constantly reproducing the meaning and status of fashion. Fashion trends represent a kind of renewal and, in fact, an effort to innovate and change various aspects of appearance. This phenomenon is a problem in today's consumer-oriented societies and is closely related to the emergence of modernity (Qadri and Rezaei, 2014). The present study seeks to systematically analyze the social and cultural factors affecting the tendency towards fashion among women in Boshroiyeh County and, based on field findings, present scientific and practical solutions for a healthy confrontation with this phenomenon at the local level. Addressing this issue is not only a scientific necessity but also a social obligation in order to better understand women's cultural developments in the context of tradition and contemporary modernity.
2. Method
This research was conducted using qualitative methodology and Thematic Analysis strategy. Thematic analysis is one of the most widely used and flexible methods of analyzing qualitative data and is very suitable for analyzing interviews, texts, narratives, and lived experiences. In this method, the researcher seeks to find meaningful patterns of repetition. Repetition means that a theme can be perceived in at least two instances of the text (Etrid Stirling, 2001). In this study, a semi-structured interview technique was used, which is highly compatible with qualitative methodology, especially thematic analysis. Purposive sampling was also used to select participants. Glazer and Strauss have proposed a theoretical saturation criterion for continuing the purposive sampling process. In the present study, the researcher reached saturation point after conducting 16 interviews. In qualitative research, reliability is used to validate research findings. During the interview process, an effort was made to record and implement the interviewees' points of view without the interference of external factors. To measure reliability, the participant control technique was used in the interview. For this purpose, the research findings are compared with the perceptions of the interviewees. To carry out this comparison, after identifying the conceptual codes and main categories, these codes were subjected to evaluation by some of the participants and their opinions about these codes were obtained and approved.
3. Results
Content analysis of interviews conducted with 16 women from Bashroi revealed that their experience of fashion is shaped by a range of social and cultural factors. Initial codes extracted directly from participants’ discourse indicate a strong presence of the need to be seen, to differentiate, to identify with, and to follow collective norms. Many participants, especially young and single women, emphasized that their style of dress and fashion were a form of “self-expression.” Focused codes such as “self-expression through clothing” and “desire to differentiate and be seen” were extracted from this group, indicating that fashion in this spectrum is not only a matter of outward consumption but also a mechanism for constructing identity. Analysis of qualitative data obtained from interviews with 16 women aged 15 to 49 in the city of Boshroyeh showed that the tendency towards fashion and fashionism among the participants is a multi-layered matter and is influenced by cultural, social, economic, and media interactions. The final themes extracted from the interviews indicate that the fashion experience of Boshroyeh women is not limited to personal choice or taste, but is rooted in their social context and living conditions. Analysis of the research data shows that fashionism among women in the world is not a purely individual or aesthetic phenomenon, but is intertwined with social structures and interpersonal relationships. Four key factors in the participants' fashionist behaviors were identified: social class and personal status, communication networks, media and cyberspace, and social identification through clothing. In the media and cyberspace dimension, a strong role of these tools in shaping fashion tastes was evident. The majority of participants – especially young women – stated that they get their clothing patterns from Instagram, Telegram channels, celebrity pages, and online stores. The women participating in the study do not see fashion simply as a style of clothing, but rather as a complex and multi-layered experience intertwined with pleasure, pressure, identity, and cultural confrontation. A large proportion of the participants indicated that modern and diverse clothing is a source of pleasure, positive energy, and inner beauty for them. For these women, fashion is not only a sign of taste, but also a means of improving their mood and gaining a sense of worth.
4. Discussion and Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that the tendency towards fashion among women in the city of Boshroyeh is a multidimensional and interdisciplinary phenomenon that cannot be considered simply due to individual taste or media influence. Rather, this tendency is the result of a complex interaction of social, cultural, and individual factors that have formed in the specific local context of Boshroyeh. On the one hand, social factors such as socio-economic status, peer pressure, and role models from the media and social networks play a prominent role in encouraging women to be fashionable. The findings of this study clearly show that the media, and especially virtual social networks, play a unique role in shaping attitudes, behaviors, and identities related to fashion among women in the city of Boshroiyeh. Another important and influential aspect of fashion trends among women in the city of Boshroiyeh is the role of peer groups and close social environments such as friends, educational environments, and the workplace. The findings of this study are consistent with some studies conducted in the field of fashion and women's fashionism in Iran. For example, in a study conducted by Moeini et al. (2011) in Khorramabad, it was shown that mass media, peer group, and the desire to improve social status are the main factors in women's tendency towards fashion. The results of the present study also confirm this issue; in such a way that most participants considered the role of media and peer pressure to be very important in changing their clothing style. On the other hand, a study conducted by Mohammad Ali (2015) shows that income level, education level, and access to new media are among the determining factors in the intensity of women's fashionism