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Fashion, Beauty and Fame - the Psychology of Being Fabulous

General data

Course ID: 2500-EN-PS-EAc-11
Erasmus code / ISCED: 14.4 The subject classification code consists of three to five digits, where the first three represent the classification of the discipline according to the Discipline code list applicable to the Socrates/Erasmus program, the fourth (usually 0) - possible further specification of discipline information, the fifth - the degree of subject determined based on the year of study for which the subject is intended. / (0313) Psychology The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title: Fashion, Beauty and Fame - the Psychology of Being Fabulous
Name in Polish: Fashion, Beauty and Fame - the Psychology of Being Fabulous
Organizational unit: Faculty of Psychology
Course groups: (in Polish) Academic basket
(in Polish) Elective courses
(in Polish) electives for 1 and 2 year
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): 2.00 Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles:
  • the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS;
  • the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h;
  • 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes;
  • weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS;
  • work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load.
Language: English
Type of course:

elective courses

Short description:

How psychologists have sought to explain beauty and attractiveness

across time; the aim is also to encourage students to engage with

appearance in a wide sense including facial disfiguration and body issues,

including cosmetic surgery addiction or the use of the body as “art”. This

is then linked to the fashion cycle and how fashion changes and how self

presentation and clothing are integral to self identity and social group

memberships and symbolic communication. Finally beauty and fashion

are brought together in an examination of the effect of celebrities as role

models on consumers/viewers as indicators of fashion and attractiveness.

Learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students will:

Be able to demonstrate an understanding of fundamental psychological

principles applied to beauty, fashion consumerism and celebrity.

Specifically you will acquire an understanding of the various psychological

theories related to attractiveness/appearance evaluation (cognitive,

social, bio-evolutionary & integrated), impression management and body

image related issues. By the end of this course you will be familiar with

some major theories used to understand the fashion cycle/change

process and will be able to apply these to psychological processes such as

self esteem, group membership and identity. In addition you will have

gained insight into the fame and celebrity process both from the point of

view of the individual but also from a wider consumer & media

psychology perspective.

Finally through your assessments (in English) you will demonstrate

independent learning and research, as well as the ability to communicate

your ideas effectively.

Classes in period "Summer semester 2024/25" (past)

Time span: 2025-02-17 - 2025-06-08
Selected timetable range:
Go to timetable
Type of class:
Seminar, 20 hours more information
Coordinators: (unknown)
Group instructors: Felix de Beaumont
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Credit: Course - Grading
Seminar - Grading
Full description:

Fashion and celebrity along with beauty are multi billion dollar industries,

consequently an examination of the psycho-social processes at work in

these areas presents itself as an innovative and exciting area.

The aims of the course are to facilitate a familiarity and understanding of

how psychologists have sought to explain beauty and attractiveness, as

well as body modification and adornment and how superficially what is

consider attractive or ‘normal’ has changed. This requires the student to

understand basic face processing and the various theoretical approaches

to beauty as well as up to date integrated theories. The aim is also to

encourage students to engage with appearance in a wide sense including

facial disfiguration and body issues, including cosmetic surgery addiction

or the use of the body as “art” and clothing (fashion). By the end of the

module students will be expected to have an appreciation of the different

types of explanations put forward for dress and adornment including

tattooing and piercing, as well as the fashion cycle and how these

practices and trends have moved from sub culture to main stream.

The course will consider the different approaches to and explanations for

the fashion cycle and process and how this has been accounted for in

psycho-social terms both historically and currently and to gain a

familiarity with the concept of fashion and dress as non verbal

communication and symbolic interaction. The marketing of fashion, and

the motivations of the wearer- self worth, role adoption, luxury and fake

good purchase. Impression management and the study of effects of

appearance on others are examined in terms of the ‘beauty halo effect’,

be it initial evaluations of strangers or even in a legal setting.

The aims of the fame component are to examine the nature of fame and

the effect of celebrities/stars who act as fashion and beauty role models.

Bibliography:

Core texts:

− Mair, C. (2018) The psychology of fashion. UK. Routledge (available

as E book)

− Kaiser, S. B. (2002). The Social Psychology of Clothing. Fairchild:

USA- (any edition of this book!)

− Johnson et al (2014) Dress, body and self: research in the social

− psychology of dress. Fashion and textiles. 1;20

− Belk (1988) Meaning of possessions and the extended self. Journal of

Consumer Research. Volume 15, Issue 2,Pages 139–168.

https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/15/2/139/1841428

− Ashmore et al (1996) Thinking about fashion models looks: a multi

dimensional approach in Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin 22

(11) pp1083

− Barnard, M. (2007). Fashion theory: a reader. Routledge: UK

− Entwistle, J. (2007) The fashioned body Polity Press; UK

− Johnson, T. Attmann, J (2009) Compulsive buying in a product specific

context: clothing Journal of Fashion and marketing 13 (3) 394-406

− Steel, V. (2007). Fetish: fashion, sex and power. Oxford University

Press: UK

− Swami, V. & Furnham, A. (2008) The psychology of physical attraction

UK; Routledge

− Other Journal articles to be confirmed

Course descriptions are protected by copyright.
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