Final Blog Post: Research Reaction

After conducting my research, I've come to realize that clothing can play a big role in how others judge a person's social standing. Though I had no big infractions with store employees, I could definitely tell that they made judgments about my clothes and acted accordingly. When I wore my everyday outfit, I was basically regarded with the respect an average customer would deserve: a polite smile upon entrance and parting, but no other real acknowledgment. When I had my upper-class clothing on, I felt like a was received with more promise by employees. Since my outfit may have sent the message that I was more capable of buying each store's products, the employees took a bit more care in receiving me, and just let me pass on unnoticed in the high-end stores that I went in, probably because I looked the part. One woman in Aritzia gushed over the long, leather-and-wool peacoat I had on and asked where I got it (since I borrowed it from a friend's mom, I couldn't tell her). I was also quite tenaciously pursued by a man at a kiosk, who came over and even took my hand in an attempt to get me to stay and hear his pitch; since most people just pass by kiosks without a second glance, he probably took my wardrobe as a sign that I had money to spare on the various face products he was selling. I definitely felt most uncomfortable dressed in the low-class outfit; I felt uncomfortable and most likely to be judged in that one, unlike the somewhat powerful feeling I had while wearing my upper-class outfit, knowing that my clothes left me entitled to shop at basically any store. This experiment opened my eyes to the power of clothing, and I've unfortunately learned that in the world of shopping, most people do judge a book by its cover.

Final-Final Experiment Plan, Post-Experimentation

After going to the mall to execute the first part of my experiment, I realized that I misjudged the best location in which to conduct my experiment. At first, I chose to conduct my experiment in large department stores like Nordstroms because they're notorious for having snooty airs about them, and I've personally had experiences being profiled for social class in it. However, when I went to the mall dressed in my regular clothes, representing the middle class, I was virtually invisible in the hustle and bustle of those large stores. Although that is the response expected from dressing like a regular mall patron, I realized that forcing the employees to interact with me is the only way to get a response every time I go "shopping." For that reason, I will only be going to small, upscale stores for the remainder of my experiment.

Dressed representing the middle class, I went into Aritzia and Coach. Upon entering I was spoken to immediately, greeted with slightly-forced smiles and "hi, how are you today?"s from employees within each store. after they greeted me, they didn't pay me much attention until I left, when "have a nice day!"s were exchanged. This was the response that I was expecting to get: respectful acknowledgment, but no special attention. Actually going to the mall made me realize that my experiment will yield better results in smaller stores because the employees are forced to be personable when they are at a closer range, while shoppers are more likely to be lost in the shuffle at larger stores. Though it's slightly scary to know that I will definitely be interacting with the employees of the stores I go in when I'm disguised, I know this will allow for better results in my experiment.

F.Y.I.

Since I'm not going to be able to get to the mall until this weekend and it was okay-ed in class to push off your blog if your research involves going to a specific place, I will be blogging after this weekend. Stay tuned!

Let The Games Begin: Final Experiment Plan

Besides the fact that I haven't had a spare second to go to the mall over the past two weeks to begin conducting my research, I realized that my experiment still had some kinks to be worked out, anyway. I was originally planning on going to a designer store like Coach or Louis Vuitton, along with bigger, upscale retail stores with snooty reputations, like Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor. After deliberating over it, I'm going to nix my visits to the small designer store because I'm afraid that the employees there might recognize me, considering that I'll be making three visits to each store. Breaking my cover would ruin the validity of my experiment, so I'm going to stick to conducting my experiment in larger upscale stores. Also, since those stores are bigger, I think it will give me a bigger mix of people to encounter, and it would increase the chances of me witnessing other mall patrons getting profiled by way of social class, as well. Though I still need to determine which day of the week I plan on carrying out my experiment, I want to purposely go on the same day in an effort to get the same mix of employees to encounter with. Although this poses the same threat of them recognizing me, I'm holding out hope that because they're bigger stores, the employees won't recognize my face each time I go in. Besides, it's my clothes that will be doing the talking.

I can't wait to carry this experiment out!

The Nitty Gritty: Further Experiment Details

After realizing that my plan is more of an experiment than an act of naturalistic observation, I'm ready to  wreak havoc on the stores of GSP. Instead of observing how employees and shoppers react to people dressed according to class, I will be embodying representations of the lower, middle, and upper classes and gauging people's reactions to me based on my clothing. I plan on going to the mall on three separate occasions during the evening, each time wearing clothes to represent a certain social class. As the control in my experiment, I'll first go to the mall dressed in my normal clothes, representing the middle class. The following week I'll go to the mall dressed in all brand-name clothing to represent the upper class, and the week after that I'll go in sweats, worn sneakers, and perhaps a bandana, representing the lower class. I'm going to concentrate my experimentation in Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, and a designer store, perhaps Coach or Louis Vuitton.

I was inspired to do this experiment because I myself have had negative experiences in stores generally patronized by wealthy people. Most people in those places haven't taken me seriously, whether for my age or my clothes, while people who "look the part" have salespeople breathing down their necks 24/7. Interestingly as well, my friend's mom was also a victim of shopper profiling in Nordstrom; the employees looked at her as they would pond scum when she entered in sweatpants, but they chased her around with new fragrance samples when she entered in a fur coat. I feel like people today subconsciously categorize each other into classes, and my experiment will put that theory directly to the test. I will keep a special eye out for suspicious and judgmental looks shot at me from workers, and possibly other shoppers, and pay special attention to the kind of treatment I receive in the stores I visit based on my appearance. My greatest hope is that I don't blow my cover!

Any Excuse to Play Dress Up: Quarter Two Project Research Method

For the topic of social class, I've chosen the sociological research method of naturalistic observation. I feel that the best way for me to attain unadulterated information about my topic is to put myself in the shoes of people from different social classes. I plan on going to Garden State Plaza dressed as a member of the upper class, perhaps wearing all brand name clothes, the middle class, donning my usual mall attire, and another time as a member of the working class or the lower class, perhaps dressing in a worn or dirty outfit. I'll be taking note of the reactions I get from employees, other customers, and people I simply see in passing, if my attire elicits a reaction from them, as well.

A helpful breakdown of social class in America.

Social class is a topic that seems black and white to most people, but the sociological gray areas are what gives the subject depth. Social class isn't about facts and figures; it's something that can be sensed among people everyday. Today's society is so heavily based on physical appearances, we can't help but look at people without inferring what social class they're in. If a woman rolls up wearing Chanel sunglasses and driving a BMW with the top down, I'd assume that she's of the upper class, in contrast to if she rolled up in a rundown car with a sputtering engine, with plain and stained clothing. I never realized how prevalent judging based on social class was before now, and I want to put myself in the shoes of members of each class to get a sense of how it feels to be scrutinized. So judge away, fellow mall patrons, judge away!

Illegitimate Opportunity Structure: A Crime Against the Classes

Who would have thought that the social classes that people are in could determine the types of crime they commit? In discussing street crime and white-collar crime this past week, I discovered that social status can drive people toward different styles of crime. Poorer people are more likely to commit street crimes, like mugging or robbery, because of the messages that society deals them; while our materialistic society socializes the poor into wanting everything from iPods to Xboxes, their financial standing doesn't support them obtaining those things. Poor people may also turn to stealign thigns because they see no other way to provide for their families. A good education, the number one tool for success, is often unattainable for the lower class, giving them no opportunity to move forward. 

While we may label all muggers as immoral, they may see no other way to provide for their family. Have you ever considered the motives behind street crimes before?
On the other hand, members of the upper and middle classes sometimes abuse their knowledge by channeling it into white-collar crimes, in attempts to aggrandize their social standing. White-collar crimes include evading income tax, bribing public officials, and embezzling, crimes that all take a certain amount of intelligence to execute.

Illegitimate opportunity structure causes the criminals of each class to commit crimes that specifically pertain to their own situations. While members of poor communities may turn to drug dealing to make a quick profit, perhaps out of necessity, members of the middle and upper class may use corporate crime to gain more prominence than they previously had. Though it makes sense to categorize crimes by people's social classes, I'd never really thought that social classes could condition people into committing certain types of crimes. Do you believe that the social class a person belongs to determines what kind of crime they will commit? 

This issue is eerily reflected in the lyrics of "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant, which tells of a prostitute, a mugger, and a corrupt priest, all who justify their corrupt actions by saying their social status gives them no alternative choices. If you don't feel like watching the whole lyrics video below, the gist of the poor crowd's rationalization of their actions can be attained from the chorus:

There ain't no rest for the wicked /

Money don't grow on trees /

I got bills to pay /

I got mouths to feed /

Ain't nothing in this world for free /

No I can't slow down /

I can't hold back /

Though you know I Wish I could /

No there ain't no rest for the wicked /

Until we close our eyes for good.