Fashion and Identity in LGBTQ+ Youth: A Case Study in Conjunction with Mapping Q

Abstract

This thesis presents my findings from a mixed-methods case study researching the effects of fashion-related artmaking on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Other (LGBTQ+) youth. This was done in conjunction with the University of Arizona Museum of Art and Mapping Q, a series of art workshops for Arizona LGBTQ+ youth ages 14-24. For four weeks I introduced participants to queer fashion knowledge and demonstrated artmaking skills related to fashion such as sketching, color theory, hand stitching, pattern making, accessorizing, and finishing an outfit. Participants’ sense of identity, use of coping mechanisms, sense of style, and knowledge of the material were obtained before and after completing the workshop in order to answer my primary research question, “does introducing fashion-related artmaking skills and correlated background information to queer youth help improve their sense of identity?” After analyzing the data obtained from this study through a queer phenomenological framework, my findings are that the answer to this question is yes. Additionally, fashion-related artmaking has the ability to improve participants’ coping with stressful situations, and I discovered similarities in the ways these individuals related to their identity through fashion and in the shared aesthetics amongst certain demographics.Keywords: LGBTQ+, queer, phenomenology, constructivism, mixed-methods research, identity, fashion, art museum education