Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries
Human beings have always coveted beautiful objects, but the desire to look good is reaching new heights worldwide. Although the pursuit of beauty appears universal, industry evidence suggests that it is particularly strong in Asia. This research examines the effect of culture on the pursuit of beaut...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137202 |
| _version_ | 1811693313292500992 |
|---|---|
| author | Madan, Shilpa Basu, Shankha Ng, Sharon Lim, Elison Ai Ching |
| author2 | Nanyang Business School |
| author_facet | Nanyang Business School Madan, Shilpa Basu, Shankha Ng, Sharon Lim, Elison Ai Ching |
| author_sort | Madan, Shilpa |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Human beings have always coveted beautiful objects, but the desire to look good is reaching new heights worldwide. Although the pursuit of beauty appears universal, industry evidence suggests that it is particularly strong in Asia. This research examines the effect of culture on the pursuit of beauty. Three studies provide converging evidence that interdependent self-construal increases the likelihood of using appearance-enhancing products. Study 1 operationalizes culture through nationality and self-construal and shows that Easterners (more interdependent) are more likely to use appearance-enhancing products than Westerners (less interdependent). This use is driven by interdependents' tendency to conform to societal norms, which in turn leads to heightened self-discrepancy (Study 2). The use of appearance-enhancing tools helps minimize this discrepancy. Study 3 shows that strength of norms moderates the impact of interdependence on the use of appearance-enhancing tools. When norms are loosely defined and adherence is not strictly enforced, interdependents' appearance enhancement tendency is reduced. This research offers actionable insights into the pursuit of beauty, marketing of beauty brands, policy making, and consumer well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:49:42Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/137202 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:49:42Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1372022023-05-19T07:31:16Z Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries Madan, Shilpa Basu, Shankha Ng, Sharon Lim, Elison Ai Ching Nanyang Business School Business::Marketing Physical Attractiveness Culture Human beings have always coveted beautiful objects, but the desire to look good is reaching new heights worldwide. Although the pursuit of beauty appears universal, industry evidence suggests that it is particularly strong in Asia. This research examines the effect of culture on the pursuit of beauty. Three studies provide converging evidence that interdependent self-construal increases the likelihood of using appearance-enhancing products. Study 1 operationalizes culture through nationality and self-construal and shows that Easterners (more interdependent) are more likely to use appearance-enhancing products than Westerners (less interdependent). This use is driven by interdependents' tendency to conform to societal norms, which in turn leads to heightened self-discrepancy (Study 2). The use of appearance-enhancing tools helps minimize this discrepancy. Study 3 shows that strength of norms moderates the impact of interdependence on the use of appearance-enhancing tools. When norms are loosely defined and adherence is not strictly enforced, interdependents' appearance enhancement tendency is reduced. This research offers actionable insights into the pursuit of beauty, marketing of beauty brands, policy making, and consumer well-being. Accepted version 2020-03-06T04:08:47Z 2020-03-06T04:08:47Z 2018 Journal Article Madan, S., Basu, S., Ng, S., & Lim, E. A. C. (2018). Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries. Journal of International Marketing, 26(4), 54-68. doi:10.1177/1069031X18805493 1069-031X https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137202 10.1177/1069031X18805493 2-s2.0-85058139545 4 26 54 68 en Journal of International Marketing © 2018 American Marketing Association. All rights reserved. This paper was published by SAGE in Journal of International Marketing and is made available with permission of American Marketing Association. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Business::Marketing Physical Attractiveness Culture Madan, Shilpa Basu, Shankha Ng, Sharon Lim, Elison Ai Ching Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title | Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title_full | Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title_fullStr | Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title_short | Impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty : evidence from five countries |
| title_sort | impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty evidence from five countries |
| topic | Business::Marketing Physical Attractiveness Culture |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/137202 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT madanshilpa impactofcultureonthepursuitofbeautyevidencefromfivecountries AT basushankha impactofcultureonthepursuitofbeautyevidencefromfivecountries AT ngsharon impactofcultureonthepursuitofbeautyevidencefromfivecountries AT limelisonaiching impactofcultureonthepursuitofbeautyevidencefromfivecountries |