Wrapping Your Trauma with Clothes: Exploring the Use of Clothing Practice to Enhance Post-traumatic Growth in Female Breast Cancer Survivors

Aurore Bardey (), Zoe Shaughnessy and Mary Stopforth
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Aurore Bardey: BSB - Burgundy School of Business (BSB) - ESC Dijon-Bourgogne, CEREN - Centre de Recherche sur les Entreprises - BSB - Burgundy School of Business (BSB) - ESC Dijon-Bourgogne

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Abstract: The study aims to explore the lived experience of female breast cancer survivors and their relationship with clothing from a posttraumatic growth perspective. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six female breast cancer survivors who had undergone a mastectomy and were screened for posttraumatic growth. Interpretation of results (using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) highlighted the relationship with clothing manifested through four emergent themes: clothing as a means to manage mood, clothing as connection, clothing as a way to conceal/reveal/accentuate and compensate, and clothing as a way to explore the self. In navigating the physical, psychological and social aspects of an altered self, the relationship women formed with clothing was a complex one; overall, clothing emerged as an active coping strategy for participants in this study, and in doing so, could be interpreted as a facilitator for creating an environment for and a means by which to exacerbate posttraumatic growth.

Keywords: Women’s health; Breast cancer; Resilience; Post-traumatic growth; Fashion practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12-08
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Published in Fashion Practice, 2025, pp.1-28. ⟨10.1080/17569370.2025.2581588⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05797902

DOI: 10.1080/17569370.2025.2581588

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