A1 Journal article (refereed)
Mothers’ self-representations and representations of childhood on social media (2023)
Kallioharju, M., Wilska, T.-A., & Vänskä, A. (2023). Mothers’ self-representations and representations of childhood on social media. Young Consumers, 24(4), 485-499. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-06-2022-1541
The research was funded by Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Kallioharju, Minna; Wilska, Terhi-Anna; Vänskä, Annamari
Journal or series: Young Consumers
ISSN: 1747-3616
eISSN: 1747-3616
Publication year: 2023
Publication date: 19/05/2023
Volume: 24
Issue number: 4
Pages range: 485-499
Publisher: Emerald
Publication country: United Kingdom
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-06-2022-1541
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/87139
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine mothers’ social media accounts that focus on children’s fashion. The authors probed children’s fashion photo practices as representations of the mothers’ extended self and the kind of childhood representations produced by the social media accounts. They also investigated mothers’ perceptions of children’s privacy when engaging in sharenting – the sharing of information about children or parenting online.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on 16 semi-structured interviews with Finnish mothers who had Instagram accounts focusing on children’s fashion.
Findings
Children’s fashion photos play a diverse role in mothers’ identity work. The photos can be used to express a mother’s taste and aesthetic skills, to express values, to fit into peer groups and to store memories of oneself and the children. Through the photos, representations of the prevailing Finnish childhood ideals, such as authenticity, naturalness and playfulness, are reproduced. The mothers perceived the children as part of their extended self and justified sharenting with mother- and child-centered arguments.
Originality/value
Through shedding light on the practices of social media fashion photography, this paper provides insights into how commercialism and social media shape cultural expectations for both motherhood and childhood. The paper contributes to previous research on sharenting, extending it to the context of fashion photography.
Keywords: mothers; children (age groups); parenthood; social media; self-expression; representation (mental objects); fashion; consumption; appearance (looks); photographs; privacy; consumer behaviour
Free keywords: motherhood; extended self; self-representation; consumption; childhood; children’s fashion; children’s clothing; social media; sharenting; purchase requests; online media; other media and children
Contributing organizations
Related projects
- #Agents- Young People’s Agency in Social Media
- Wilska, Terhi-Anna
- Research Council of Finland
- Learning to be digital consumers. How to improve young people’s financial skills in a technologically driven consumer society? (DigiConsumers)
- Wilska, Terhi-Anna
- Research Council of Finland
Ministry reporting: Yes
VIRTA submission year: 2023
JUFO rating: 1