Restructuring Situated Bodily Practices: Understanding the Relationship of Dress, Body, and Identity in Virtual Dressing Practice

Abstract

As the fashion industry increasingly explores virtual worlds to expand product ranges, understanding users’ perceptions and behaviors in relation to their avatars, selves, and the overall virtual fashion culture is becoming even more important. This study investigates virtual dressing practices by applying the triad of dress, body, and identity explored in conventional dressing practices. Utilizing the key components of practice theories—material, competence, and meaning—this research employs autoethnography to delve into the author’s personal experiences and reflections on virtual dressing practices. It examines how avatars, as the dressed body, function as both a private embodiment and a public representation within virtual worlds, comparing these aspects to those in the offline world. The findings suggest that while virtual dressing practices uphold the triad’s dynamics, the materiality, competences, and cultural meanings differ markedly. Furthermore, a user’s situatedness can profoundly affect their dressing practices and perceptions in virtual life. Grounded in practice theories and an autoethnographic approach, this study’s methodological framework provides a nuanced and relatable understanding of virtual fashion, transitioning from the broader concept of situated bodily practices to a more defined, embodied practice that is shaping a new facet of fashion practices.

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