Improvements in quality of life and increased interest in aesthetics in Korean society have prompted an increased demand for and interest in cosmetics as a means of appearance management. Appearance is establishing itself as an important concern for a...
Improvements in quality of life and increased interest in aesthetics in Korean society have prompted an increased demand for and interest in cosmetics as a means of appearance management. Appearance is establishing itself as an important concern for all ages and genders, as evidenced by modern coinages such as momjjang ("great body"), eoljjang ("attractive face"), and dongan ("babyface"). Women in middle age have likewise developed a desire for external transformation, which reflects an area of social activity impacted by physical and psychological changes as well as self-esteem. As part of these concerns, they weigh many factors in deciding upon hairstyles. However, there are few papers in the literature to date that focus on the impact of hairstyle on women in this age group.
The purpose of this study is to provide basic data in determining the value of hairstyle choice as an act for the promotion of psychological health through compiling measurements on women's psychological satisfaction, stress, and sensitivity to fashion with regard to hairstyle.
The study consisted of a self-administered questionnaire, data from which were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) WIN 15.0 program. Frequency and percentages were calculated to determine the general characteristics of the research subjects, while averages and standard deviations were calculated to determine beauty salon usage patterns, interest in hair care, self-esteem, body satisfaction, and psychological satisfaction after hairstyle change among middle-aged women. Chi-square (χ2), t-test, one-way ANOVA, and frequency analyses were also conducted. A correlation analysis was performed to determine relationships among interest in hair care, self-esteem, psychological satisfaction, and body satisfaction among middle-aged women.
The study took place between September 7 and October 28, 2011. The participants were women aged 40 to 50 in the city of Jinju, South Korea. This age group was selected to observe the impact of hairstyle on the sense of psychological shame that many women suffer due to the physical changes that occur with the onset of menopause.
For the study, a total of 350 questionnaires were distributed, of which 331 were completed. Three were discarded due to faulty responses, with the remaining 328 used for the final analysis.
The results were as follows.
First, more of the 328 participants were in their forties (67.1%) than fifties (32.9%).
Second, responses about hairstyle preference showed more women satisfied with their hairstyle (54.0%) than not (44.8%). A significant difference was observed according to age group, with women in their forties showing the greatest preference for a long natural wave and women in their fifties stating their desire for a short permanent wave. Examination of interest in hairstyle, regularity of changes, and first impressions associated with hairstyle showed more women in their forties changing their hairstyle roughly once every six months, while women in their fifties changed their hairstyle very infrequently. Women who changed their hairstyle approximately once a month indicated that hairstyle contributed more than 70% to a first impression.
Third, examination of self-esteem found an average overall rating of 3.25 out of five possible points, indicating that middle-aged women generally do not have very high self-esteem.
Fourth, examination of differences in satisfaction and confidence after hairstyle change and degree of psychological satisfaction found high levels of psychological satisfaction compared to the average overall rating of 3.54 out of five points for satisfaction and confidence after hairstyle change.
Satisfaction after hairstyle change and confidence were higher for women who used beauty salons frequently, with a significant difference observed according to number of visits.
Fifth, examination of correlation among hairstyle interest, self-esteem, psychological satisfaction, and body satisfaction found that higher levels of interest in hairstyle among middle-aged women were associated with higher ratings of positive self-image and self-respect, satisfaction and confidence after hairstyle change, social effectiveness, psychological satisfaction, hairstyle satisfaction, face satisfaction, and body satisfaction. This is believed to indicate that hairstyle can have a partial impact on self-esteem and body satisfaction among women in their forties and fifties. The results are also significant in that they provide basic materials necessary for formulating of marketing strategies for hairstyle development and customer satisfaction to promote sales in the cosmetics market for middle-aged women.
Finally, it is hoped that subsequent research will address and analyze limitations to this study, enlisting various methods to provide effective and positive impacts in terms of the broad-ranging transformational value of hairstyle on individual self-esteem and body satisfaction.