A Study On Clothing Consumption And Identity Of New Generation Of Peasant Workers

Compared with their parents,the new generation of migrant workers have a strong desire to integrate into city and live in.To enhance the sense of belonging to the city,they take the initiative to learn the city culture and the consumption patterns,consumption has become the most direct and effective way to construct the identity for them.Compared with other consumption,clothing consumption has a strong visual impact and is more obvious.Clothing consumption can clearly reflect the changes of new generation of migrant workers after they enter cities.When they work in cities,the new generation of migrant workers began to attach importance to their external image and fashion.We carried out this research with such doubts that is there some kind of association between this clothing consumption behavior changes of the new generation of migrant workers and their identity.Through a questionnaire survey and interviews,we came to these conclusions: First,for the new generation of migrant workers,the selection criteria of clothing is diversified,the place of purchase is urbanized,the clothing consumption is symbolized,the clothing expenditure increased significantly,which reflect the new generation of migrant workers’ eager to integrate into the city and construct citizen identity.In order to build respected citizen identity,they strengthen the citizen identity by seeking the same with city people,weaken the identity of farmers by seeking the different with farmers.Second,the influence of the mass media,the demonstrative consumption of reference group and occupational image requirements make them realize that if they want to become an urbanite,they must transform the personal image through clothing consumption.Finally,affected by limited income,lack of social security and a series of factors,the new generation of migrant workers can only take "amphibious" consumption strategy and build "amphibious" identity: When consuming in accordance with the city’s consumer culture,they seem to recognize themselves as urban people;but when consuming according to the cultural habits of rural area,they have no choice but to accept their identity as rural people.In the conversion of the two identities,they are caught in the self-identity dilemma.