Fashioning Diversity: How Women in Aotearoa New Zealand Perceive Inclusive Advertising

Abstract

This study explores how women aged 18 to 50 in Aotearoa New Zealand interpret inclusive marketing strategies used by fashion brands, and how these interpretations influence their sense of representation and consumer behaviour. In this study, inclusive marketing is defined as advertising that represents diverse body sizes, ethnicities and gender identities. Drawing on Hall’s (1980) representation theory and postfeminist media discourse, the research focuses on how women negotiate meanings of inclusivity when engaging with marketing messages. Semi-structured interviews with 21 female participants reveal that participants are active interpreters who may support, resist or renegotiate brand messages based on their own background. Although participants acknowledge a gradual shift in advertising inclusivity, they also note the continued underrepresentation of diverse bodies, ages and ethnicities, emphasising that such lack of representation may perpetuate self-esteem issues. These findings highlight the need for more authentic, inclusive and diverse representation extending beyond product launches and sales periods. Consumers also play an active role by showing their support for inclusive brands and voicing their concerns about brands that misrepresent women. This study is the first to examine how women in Aotearoa engage with efforts toward inclusivity in advertising, as global conversations around this issue continue to grow. It extends theories of representation and consumer behaviour by framing women’s meaning-making as a dynamic negotiation between media representation and self-concept. The study approaches inclusivity not as a marketing narrative by brands, but as a lived interpretive experience through which consumers co-create the meaning of diversity.