The Sneaker Culture, Status, and Schooling: A Thematic Narrative Review and Theoretical Framework to Study Youth Cultural Consumption
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Keywords
sneaker culture, youth cultural consumption, identity work, status signalling, school culture
Abstract
The sneakers are branded products, collectible items, which acquire cultural significance based upon the perceptions of the surrounding world. This narrow narrative review puts the studies of sneakers in direct dialogue with the studies of youth-clothing and cultural theory. It considers the way identity, status, community involvement, and authenticity are connected to sneakers. Searches and citation chaining resulted in 44 different records: nine by the initial search and six bibliographically validated additions made up a 15-source core. The direct research connects sneakers to brands, communities, release information and authentication. Studies of children, teenagers, and school dress record peer recognition based on clothing, but do not identify a youth effect specific to sneakers. School culture is then seen as a situation with the potential to influence audience judgement. Comparative study should have identified contexts, peer and institutional assessment measurements, and alternative explanation testing in order to attribute school context differences to sneakers.
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