Self and Identity of Being an Ideal Woman: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Gender roles and their stereotyped behaviour is influenced by various factors, both external and internal, during the course of an individual’s life. But, the identity of being an ideal woman is allegedly triggered by marketing. It seems to create an identity benchmark in the society and a pressure in women to comply with these identity standards. These efforts to adhere to the ideal woman benchmark is reflected in women’s consumption. But, what does it mean to be an ideal woman? To explore this, we conducted 20 interviews. The study identified that being an ideal woman is being beautiful and feminine, and to have stereotyped perfect bodies and behaviour. These seem to be driven by the expectations from men, which bring transitions in a woman’s public and private self. The study also discusses the implications to marketing and advertising