Narratives of Rebellion: A Psychological Analysis of Anti-Mainstream Fashion and Youth Identity Construction

Symon  Liu

doi:10.54691/e1exyb02

Authors

Symon Liu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/e1exyb02

Keywords:

Anti-mainstream fashion; psychological reactance; narrative identity; symbolic consumption; youth psychology; emotional identification.

Abstract

Under the influence of contemporary society characterized by the coexistence of digitalization and emotional regulation, the youth (Gen Z) has increasingly turned self-expression into symbolic systems facing the highly homogenized cultural environment and mounting psychological stress. This research focuses specifically on the rapid spread of the trend “Anti-Fashionism” recently—a visual system evolved from the concepts of anti-authoritarian, anti-structural, nihilistic, absurd, and affectively detached narratives, exemplified by brands such as Vetements and Enfants Riches Déprimés (ERD). The results indicate that Anti-Fashion isn’t just a style preference for teenagers, but a controllable and safe containment for their endless emotions—it carries their deep and unspeakable complex emotions. Through anti-mainstream narratives, Gen Z teenagers restore symbolic autonomy, achieve identity positioning, and realize emotional identification in consumption. This study also contains an action research chapter on my personal brand, Evasive Attachment, as an example of developing an integrated model that combines real-market dynamics with psychological mechanisms in future research.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Barthes, R. (1983). The fashion system. Berkeley. University of California Press, Oakland.

[2] Kaiser, S. B. (1997). The social psychology of clothing. Fairchild Publications, New York.

[3] Hebdige, D. (1979). Subculture: The meaning of style. Routledge, London.

[4] Polhemus, T. (1994). Streetstyle: From sidewalk to catwalk. Thames & Hudson, London.

[5] Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. Academic Press, New York.

[6] Miron, A. M., & Brehm, J. W. (2006). Reactance theory—40 years later. Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 37(1), 9–18.

[7] Rucker, D. D., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Desire to acquire: Power and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(2), 257–267.

[8] McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100–122.

[9] Tajfel, H., Turner, J. C., Austin, W.G. & Worchel, S. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. Intergroup relations: Essential readings, 33–47.

[10] Muggleton, D. (2000). Inside subculture: The postmodern meaning of style. Berg, Oxford.

[11] Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139–168.

[12] McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(1), 71–84.