(l. 663)
Characteristic of Victoria
Victoria clearly has kind of a two sided approach to life – an independent and a dependent. On one side she is a very casual girl with a more or less hedonistic approach to life and an autonomous sense of self deriving symbolic meaning from a very private resource. On the other side she is also very dependent on her peers and surroundings in relation to both copying and distancing herself from the behaviour pattern of others. Thus, she is both what is termed a follower (Rogers, 1983) but also an oppositional consumer who relies on the common understanding of certain signal values.
In general, she is well aware of the institutionalised understanding of certain consumer be- haviour but still chooses to rely on the more private symbolic meaning which covers her own experience with the consumption objects. Furthermore, the signal value comes across as being less important than the experiential value as Victoria emphasises how objects appeal to her emotions. This is manifested in the way her mood, in the specific consumption situa- tion, often sets the agenda.
Self image
Victoria’s role as being dependent on others is particularly evident when the conversation revolves around her friend, Eline, as she clearly has an influence upon Victoria’s consump- tion practices. Eline is the one that sets the agenda on several occasions and acts as an opin- ion leader and thus she functions as a vessel that transports meaning to objects and behav- iour for Victoria. Eline’s influence is evident in everything from Victoria’s choice of cigarette brand, music and choice of bars and nightclubs (l. 118 + 223ff). Victoria herself describes Eline as following: “It is Eline who makes the party vivid and who knows all the cool music and all the cool places to go” (l. 226). Victoria simply copies the consumption pattern of Eline and hereby defines herself though shared consumption symbols. The reasoning behind this copycat behaviour does not appear to be an idolising of Eline but merely because she is in- different and ignorant about where the party is at. Victoria states it as follows: “I think it is because I do not know where to go in town. If she [Eline] says she wants to go to a particular place, I just say ‘fine’.” (l. 168ff)
It is though noticeable that Eline’s dominant role and influence not always control the be- haviour of Victoria. When it comes to the specific experience of going out Victoria knows what she wants and expresses a more autonomous preference. As such Victoria describes a good night out as follows:
“*...+ it is typically her [Eline] one has to follow, and she wants to go where all her friends are. Then I am more into just walking around and figuring out what I feel like as we just go walk- ing around finding various different places.”(l. 241ff)
Even though Victoria is largely influenced by Eline she does not ignore her own personal needs as she derives meaning from consumer objects, by the way in which they appeal to her emotions thus making her choices based on how she feels.
As such Victoria’s consumption is often very emotionally controlled and therefore it relies heavily on how she feels at the moment of the consumption. This is reflected in various as- pects of her consumption. Chocolate, for example, is primarily consumed by Victoria when she has a bad day and feels a bit depressed making it an experiential source as it contributes to making her happier (l. 225ff). Her state of mind also determines what kind of music she prefers and vice versa. If she is having a bad day her preference leans towards angry Danish hip hop music and if she is relaxed and dazing she prefers happy and cheerful music. Music, she explains, can also be used to change her mood: “If it is really happy music I cannot help being in a good mood even if I have had a bad day. So the music affects my mood but my mood affects my music choice as well.” (l. 152ff). This underlines how different consumer behaviour fits different consumption situations denoted as ‘consumption by circumstances’. From one moment to the next she can change from being sad to happy by using chocolate or music to approach her hoped for self.
In regard to shopping it is slightly more indefinable what determines if she is in the mood because, as she describes it: “When I have that feeling, that “fuck I really need something practical”. But it can still be a while before I feel like actually buying something. I really have to be in the mood for shopping.” (l. 307f).
Another way in which Victoria’s more autonomous but also hedonistic behaviour is ex- pressed is in relation to her clothing and appearance. She makes it clear herself by saying:
“No, that is not so important *others’ opinion+. It is more important that I like the things my- self.” (l. 527). This is an expression of Victoria’s sense of self which implies that she sees her- self as someone who acts as an individual without regard to norms and trends around her. She also demonstrates a striving for experiential values. This view is reflected in the way she describes herself as a relaxed type and how this self-image is manifested in her consump- tion: “It is wearing something comfortable – nothing to tight. I think that signals that one is relaxed and down to earth.”(l. 299f). This also illustrates her hoped for self in terms of being a relaxed type and additionally explains how she personally attempts to support this by wearing certain clothing which she perceives as being relaxed - hence the experiential value resides in the private domain.
The importance of clothing’s experiential value is also revealed when Victoria talks about how she likes wearing colourful and gaudy clothing and how it affects her: “*...+it looks more fresh and you feel a bit more happy, than if you wear simply black clothing[...]then I can wear it and look down at myself and become happy”(l. 531ff). This all displays how clothing is re- lated to Victoria’s sense of self through her private experience of colourful and gaudy clothes. In addition, Victoria obviously has read a lot about the common meaning of differ- ent colours in relation to how they affect your psyche. She explains the effect of the colours as follows:
“Black means grief and makes you a little sad. Red means aggressive but also happy and ro- mance. Pink is more the girly colour. Therefore colours mean a lot but I mostly think about which colours suit me. It does though also depend on the mood I am in.”(l. 532ff)
This illustrates how she uses this common knowledge as inspiration in her decision making but relies on her own private evaluation in the long run – her own interpretation of which colours she finds suit her. She further displays once again how her mood has a great impact on her consumer behaviour as it more or less sets the agenda for her choice.
Victoria’s neglecting of the common interpretation of her appearance and of signal values’ importance for how she dresses stands in an interesting contrast to how aware she is about what kind of clothing that is not her – her oppositional stand. When asked where she would go shopping if she won the lottery she does not mention any store names in particularly but
solely that: “I would go into all *stores+ except Gucci and Louis Vuitton *...+” (l. 667). This im- plies that those two specific brands very clearly are perceived as not her. Earlier in the inter- view a possible explanation is given when Victoria describes a ‘pop girl’: “She is someone who wears brand clothes such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton and who dresses provocatively. She also wears too much makeup. I cannot stand girls like that.”(l. 282f).This gives a good indica- tion of Victoria’s feared for self - the fear of being seen as a ‘pop girl’. Hence these brands are symbols of a subculture to which Victoria ascribes a certain set of values and behaviour, which Victoria does not identify herself with; it is not her. This appears when she is asked “what do brands tell about the people who wear them?”:
“They are maybe a little bit like “I do not want friends who wear anything else than neat clothes because otherwise I will not be seen on the streets with them” or something like that. I am not a brand animal at all and sometimes I can wear the ugliest outfit – I am a bit more relaxed and I would like my boyfriend to be so as well *...+”(l. 290ff)
This exemplifies how her self-definition often is based on her oppositional behaviour, ex- plaining who and what she is the opposite of. Thus, she explains how it is important to her that her boyfriend is also relaxed and dresses thereafter and does not spend time on his clothes and his look (l. 293). This will seemingly give her a feeling of consistency in her re- laxed self image.
Overall, Victoria’s identity construction process is characterised by a more or less bipartite consumption pattern. She copies the behaviour of others but still states her autonomous sense of self. She thinks emotionally and makes decisions based on the experiential value meanwhile calling attention to signal value regarding others’ behaviours in relation to mani- festing her own.
4.1.3 Portrait of Nana
Name: Nana Age: 17
Civil status: In a relationship
Family: Dad, stepmother and a younger sister Education: Second year in HTX
Student job: Receptionist in a karate club
Disposable income: DKK 1400 in salary and 350 in allowance (‘money for food’).