The Study On Female University Students’ Body Consumption From The Perspective Of Coleman’s Rational Choice Theory

With the social economy develops at a high speed, people’s material conditions improves greatly, our country gradually steps into the "Consumer Society". Material conditions become more and more abundant, people are surrounded by goods. Consumption is not only an economic activity, but also a social and cultural activity. Because more and more people focus on their bodies, body consumption has become the focus among all consumption activities. Women are the main consumers in body consumption, and female university students are the representative of young women, their body consumption behavior reflect more personalized features. The study selects Coleman’s Rational Choice Theory as the main theoretical perspective, combined with the Sociology of Consumption and the Sociology of Body, and selects the female university students for the study, which looks on them as the rational actors. The study utilizes methods of in-depth interview and participant observation to research on the H University.From the micro level, the study emphasizes the subjective reasons of female university students’body consumption. From the meso-corporatism level, the study emphasizes the impacts of individual and structural on their body consumption’s choice and tendency, then analyze them rationally. Then, from the micro, meso and macro levels, the study concludes the impacts on actors themselves,action system and the social system, then emphasizes the negative consequences on our social system. We find the subjective reasons of female college students’body consumption mainly includes promotion of self-identity, to maintain social contacts and meet with their needs of employment. Their body consumption are not only affected by system norms, culture, mass media and other structural factors, but also based on consideration of economic rationality and social,emotional needs. Under the influence of these factors, when they make body consumption, they tend to choose imitative features, they tend to shop online and credit consumption. Their body consumption helps them to improve self-identity, maintain social contacts, promote the development of consumption culture. The physical consumption of plastic is confined by the plastic industry’s development out of the standard,which even harms their physical and mental health and hinders the development of cosmetic industry. The trend of credit consumption of female body may lead to more impulsive consumption,which results in a waste of social resources.