Jaehee Jung

Professor, Fashion and Apparel Studies | University of Delaware

Newark, DE, UNITED STATES

Prof. Jung examines the psychology of clothing and consumer behavior across cultures.

Spotlight

Unraveling the Impact of Barbie on Body Image and Self-esteem

2023-07-27

Media

Publications Photos Videos Documents Audio/Podcasts

Publications:

Documents:

Photos:

Videos:

Audio/Podcasts:

Biography

Jaehee Jung has expertise in fashion psychology and consumer culture; global brand management and marketing with a strong focus on the luxury industry. Much of Jung's work has an international and cross-cultural focus, particularly in the East Asian region. She has done extensive cross-cultural research on appearance, ideal beauty, and body image, which influences consumer consumption of fashion and beauty products. Jung's market research also focuses on consumer perceptions and attitudes toward brands.

Jung has published her multidisciplinary research in peer-refereed academic journals in business, psychology, sociology, health sciences, and consumer sciences. She was invited as a distinguished scholar/professor to universities in South Korea and China where she offered special courses on fashion business and global marketing.

Industry Expertise (5)

Cosmetics and Beauty

Apparel/Accessories

Consumer Goods

Footwear

Jewelry

Areas of Expertise (7)

Consumer Behavior

Beauty Standards

Fashion Studies

Fashion

Luxury Brands

Body Image Issues‎

International Business Practices

Media Appearances (6)

The psychology behind the Stanley Cup obsession

CNN tv

2024-01-30

Jaehee Jung, professor of fashion and apparel studies, was interviewed live on CNN Max to talk about the cup, which has gone viral thanks to TikTok users.

Singaporean woman encounters two fatphobic men in Korea: ‘Beauty standards in Singapore are pretty much the same too if not worse’

Yahoo Style online

2023-05-10

According to a study conducted by Jaehee Jung, a fashion psychology and consumer culture professor at the University of Delaware, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and distorted perception of body image and weight proved more prevalent in South Korea than in the West and China.

China: Why some think 'small eyes' are not beautiful

BBC online

2022-01-03

"Despite some variations across different dynasties, more narrow eyes were preferred in ancient China," said Dr Jaehee Jung, a consumer behaviour expert at the University of Delaware.

Stylistic mayhem: how fashion is putting minimalism in check

Vogue Spain online

2021-11-26

In addition to the excesses, the specialist Jaehee Jung also pointed to the recent popularization of a certain retro style that is combined with other more current ones, as the aforementioned autumn outfits make clear. A point that draws on the hackneyed and always lucrative nostalgia: “ It's no surprise that there has been a demand for second-hand and vintage fashion items during the pandemic,” she points out.

The sudden, uncomfy fall of the biggest pandemic fashion trend

The Guardian online

2021-11-18

It’s no coincidence that the styles of the Great Re-entry reflect a certain giddiness, says Dr Jaehee Jung, a University of Delaware fashion studies professor who researches the psychology of fashion and consumer behavior. “The fact that there are more opportunities to present ourselves to others makes us excited about the clothes we wear,” Jung tells me.

This ‘imperfect’ virtual influencer is challenging beauty standards in China

CNN online

2021-08-18

There is still huge pressure on women to conform to certain beauty ideals, according to Jaehee Jung, a professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware. Her research into perceptions of attractiveness among college students in Shanghai found that most wanted to change something about their bodies – for example, slimmer bodies or bigger eyes.

Articles (5)

Social media usage and body image: Examining the mediating roles of internalization of appearance ideals and social comparisons in young women

Computers in Human Behavior

2022 There is increasing scholarly interest in the effects of social media use on women's body image. Here, we tested the utility of the Tripartite Influence Model – developed for traditional media influences on body image – in explaining the link between intensity of social media use and body image outcomes in young adult women from the United States (N = 579). The study tested a serial indirect mediation effect linking intensity of social media use and body esteem outcomes via internalization and social comparison, as well as a direct effect between intensity of social media use and body esteem measures. The results broadly supported for the applicability of the model. Internalization of appearance ideals and social comparison, respectively, were significant mediators of the relationship between intensity of social media use and body image outcomes.

Effects of self‐discrepancy and self‐schema on young women's body image and self‐esteem after media image exposure

Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal

2018 The purpose of this study was to examine how self-discrepancy and self-schema influence the effects of exposure to thin versus nonidealized model images on young women's body dissatisfaction, body anxiety, and self-esteem as an antecedent and moderator. Female college students at a Midwestern university (n = 380) responded to a web-based survey with stimuli that consisted of thin, nonidealized, and no model images in fashion ads. Results indicated appearance self-discrepancy and self-evaluative schema in appearance augmented body dissatisfaction and body anxiety, and decreased self-esteem, whereas motivational schema in appearance reduced body anxiety and improved self-esteem.

Young women's perceptions of traditional and contemporary female beauty ideals in China

Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal

2018 This study examined cultural standards of the female ideal beauty as perceived by young women in China using a qualitative approach. Twenty‐three female Chinese students enrolled in Donghua University in Shanghai were recruited for focus groups. Being fat and a round face were mentioned as traditional characteristics of female beauty, while contemporary characteristics included a slim body and a small face. Women in contemporary China seem to endorse many Western standards for the female beauty ideal. These standards have been pervasive in media images in the context of rapid and disruptive social change, in particular for changing gender roles for women.

Traditional and Contemporary Female Beauty Ideals in China: Focus Group Interviews with Young Chinese Women

International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings

2018 The current study was aimed to examine how young Chinese women define the cultural standards of female ideal beauty in contemporary China as well as traditional concepts of female beauty using a qualitative research approach. A total of 23 female Chinese students (ages between 20 and 22) enrolled in Donghua University in Shanghai were recruited for focus-group interviews. The most frequently mentioned characteristics of the traditional female beauty ideal were (being) fat, followed by a round face. Characteristics of female beauty ideals in Contemporary China included a slim body, followed by a small face. Women in contemporary China seem to endorse much of the Western standards for female beauty ideals pervasive in media images. Traditional concepts of female beauty seem to have changed in the context of rapid and disruptive social change, particularly changing gender roles for women.

#BlackBodiesMatter: Cross-Cultural Examination of Black Women’s Motivation to Engage in Body Modification

Journal of Black Studies

2017 The purpose of this study is to examine the willingness and motivation to engage in body modification to attain an ideal body image from a cross-cultural perspective of Black women in the United States and Black women in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30) reveal that exercise is the most salient method of modification because it is inexpensive, promotes health and wellness, wards off familial health issues such as diabetes, and shapes the body to better fit clothing. Surgical methods are considered but, naturalness, costs, and potential health effects are viewed as deterrents. Both groups vary in terms of depicting what each group aspires to replicate through body modification. The findings in this article contribute to social comparison theory by expanding the theory and providing a lens for examining Black women’s body modification.

Accomplishments (5)

Invited Foreign Professor by Business School, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) (professional)

2019

Recipient of the Best Paper Award in Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising for articles published in Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, (professional)

2018

Top Contributor for Fashion Marketing Scholarship, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal (professional)

2016