Project Summary:
Brand-name clothing forms an integral part of how young people form their self-identity, even their sense of self-worth and esteem. Among factors that influence the purchase of brand-names, often expensive, are peer pressure, desire to belong, advertisements, and imitation of role models in the entertainment and sports world. I conducted interviews among a group of high-school students in West Philadelphia to explore how poverty and scarcity are socially constructed in a nexus of identity formation, culture, and brand-name marketing.