Search results

This study aims to explore the NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training) experiences of young people living in impoverished settings.

Methodologically, this study was informed by a qualitative analysis of visual and textual data related to a body mapping exercise with eleven young people who were participants in a four-day start-up workshop in a larger action research project.

The findings reveal that, although being NEET negatively affects young people’s self-esteem, confidence, hope for the future and general well-being, body mapping can help them discover latent assets useful for reducing their insecurities.

Researchers using this method need to be well prepared to deal with possible emotional trauma, and to this end, we provide some guidelines for the effective implementation of body mapping.

The purpose of this paper is to explore teacher candidates’ response to young adult literature (prose and comics) featuring fat identified protagonists. The paper considers the textual and embodied resources readers use and reject when imagining and interpreting a character’s body. This paper explores how readers’ meaning making was influenced when reading prose versus comics. This paper adds to a corpus of scholarship about the relationships between young adult literature, comics, bodies and reader response theory.

At the time of the study, participants were enrolled in a teacher education program at a Midwestern University, meeting monthly for a voluntary book club dedicated to reading and discussing young adult literature. To examine readers’ responses to comics and prose featuring fat-identified protagonists, the author used descriptive qualitative methodologies to conduct a thematic analysis of meeting transcripts, written participant reflections and researcher memos. Analysis was grounded in theories of reader response, critical fat studies and multimodality.

Analyses indicated many readers reject textual clues indicating a character’s body size and weight were different from their own. Readers read their bodies into the stories, regarding them as self-help narratives instead of radical counternarratives. Some readers were not able to read against their assumptions of thinness (and whiteness) until prompted by the researcher and other participants.

Although many reader response scholars have demonstrated readers’ tendencies toward personal identification in the face of racial and class differences, there is less research regarding classroom practices around the entanglement of physical bodies, body image and texts. Analyzing reader’s responses to the constructions of fat bodies in prose versus comics may help English Language Arts (ELA) educators and students identify and deconstruct ideologies of thin-thinking and fatphobia. This study, which demonstrates thin readers’ tendencies to overidentify with protagonists, suggests ELA classrooms might encourage readers to engage in critical literacies that support them in reading both with and against their identities.

Framed by nostalgia marketing, this research draws upon lessons from ParticipACTION, a Canadian non-profit health promotion organization, to examine one of their most well-known campaigns, Body Break with ParticipACTION, in order to assess the potential role for nostalgia-based marketing campaigns in sport participation across generational cohorts.

Exploratory sequential mixed methods involving two studies were completed on behalf of ParticipACTION, with the authors developing the research instruments and the collection of the data undertaken by research agencies. Study 1 was the secondary analysis of qualitative data from five focus groups with different demographic compositions that followed a common question guide. Study 2 was a secondary data analysis of a pan-Canadian online survey with a sample (n = 1,475) representative of the overall adult population that assessed awareness of, and attitudes toward, ParticipACTION, Body Break, physical activity and sport participation. Path analysis tested a proposed model that was based on previous research on attitudes, brand and loyalty. Further, multi-group path analyses were conducted to compare younger generations with older ones.

The results provide direction and understanding of the importance of nostalgia in marketing sport participation programs across generational cohorts. For instance, in the four parent-adult focus groups, unaided references as well as frequent and detailed comments regarding Body Break were observed. Similarly, Millennials reported that Body Break was memorable, Canadian and nostalgic, with a mix of positive and negative comments. The importance of nostalgia was supported sequentially via results from the national survey. For example, while 54.1% of the 40–54 age-group associated ParticipACTION positively with Body Break, so did 49.8% of the 25–39-year age group, most of whom were not born when the promotion ran. Further, brand resonance was found to explain 4% more variance in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), the proxy for sport participation, for younger people compared to older people.

Results provide direction to brands, properties and agencies around the use of nostalgia in sport marketing campaigns and sponsorship efforts. For brands seeking to sponsor sport properties to alter their image with potential consumers in a new market, associating with a sport property that many view as nostalgic could improve the impact of the campaign. On the sport property side, event managers and marketers should both identify existing assets that members or fans are nostalgic about, as well as consider building nostalgia into current and new properties they develop.

This research is valuable to the sport marketing and sponsorship literature through several contributions. First, the use of nostalgia marketing, and nostalgia in general, is novel in the sport marketing and sponsorship literature, with future research in nostalgia and sponsorship recommended. Second, the potential to adopt or adapt Body Break to other sport participation and physical activity properties is empirically supported. Finally, the finding that very effective promotions can have a long-lasting effect, both on those who experienced the campaigns as well as younger populations who only heard about it, is notable.

The research evaluated the feasibility of 3D dynamic fit utilizing female compression tops by comparatively analyzing the virtual and actual dynamic fit.

Six female participants were 3D body-scanned and photographed in compression tops in four types of athletic movements (pull-up, kettlebell swing, circle-crunch and sit-up). Fit measurements, waist cross-sectional areas, waist width, waist depth, numerical simulation of clothing pressure (kPa) and objective pressure measurements (kPa) were collected from 3D virtual animation, 3D fit scan data and actual photos with the four types of athletic motions. The data were comparatively investigated between virtual and actual dynamic fit.

The 3D-animated body was not reflected with human body deformation because only bone structure was changed while maintaining the constant forms of muscle and body surface in athletic movements. Due to this consistency of virtual dynamic fit, there were significant differences with the actual dynamic fit at the top length, shoulder width and waist cross-sectional areas. Also, the virtual dynamic pressure indicated significantly higher levels than the objective dynamic pressure while presenting no significant correlations at the front neckline, breast, lateral waist, upper back, back armhole and back waist.

This study is the first to verify multiple aspects of virtual dynamic fit using 3D digital technology. This study provided useful information about which aspects of the current virtual animation need to be improved to apply in the dynamic fit evaluation.

This paper reviews the pros and cons of different parametric modeling methods, which can provide a theoretical reference for parametric reconstruction of 3D human body models for virtual fitting.

In this study, we briefly analyze the mainstream datasets of models of the human body used in the area to provide a foundation for parametric methods of such reconstruction. We then analyze and compare parametric methods of reconstruction based on their use of the following forms of input data: point cloud data, image contours, sizes of features and points representing the joints. Finally, we summarize the advantages and problems of each method as well as the current challenges to the use of parametric modeling in virtual fitting and the opportunities provided by it.

Considering the aspects of integrity and accurate of representations of the shape and posture of the body, and the efficiency of the calculation of the requisite parameters, the reconstruction method of human body by integrating orthogonal image contour morphological features, multifeature size constraints and joint point positioning can better represent human body shape, posture and personalized feature size and has higher research value.

This article obtains a research thinking for reconstructing a 3D model for virtual fitting that is based on three kinds of data, which is helpful for establishing personalized and high-precision human body models.

In keeping with recent body image social trends, consumer demand for the adoption of plus-size models is increasing, although the use of thin models remains prevalent. The current study explores how consumers process information about fashion products displayed on different sizes of models in advertisements, focusing on model and consumer body sizes and both genders. As an underlying mechanism explaining how the relationship between model and consumer body sizes shapes consumer purchase intention, this study explores the role of guilt, shame and mental imagery.

The current study uses a text analytics technique to identify female consumers' general opinions of thin models in advertising. Employing a 3 (consumer body size: normal, overweight, obese) × 2 (model body size: thin, plus-size) × 2 (gender: male, female) between-subjects online experiment (n = 718), the main study comparatively analyzes the influences of plus-size and thin models on consumer responses.

The results reveal that, despite body positivity movements, thin models still generate negative emotions among female consumers. For obese female consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models produce fewer negative emotions but not more mental imagery than advertisements featuring thin models. Conversely, for obese male consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models generate more mental imagery but not more negative emotions than advertisements featuring thin models. The results also reveal that the relationship between consumer body size and guilt is moderated by perceived model size, which is also moderated by gender in generating mental imagery. While guilt plays a mediating role in enhancing mental imagery, resulting in purchase intention, shame does not take on this role.

This study is the first to present an integrated model that elucidates how consumers with varying body sizes respond to different sizes of models in advertising and how these responses impact purchase intentions.

Our findings only apply to contexts where consumers purchase fashion clothing in response to advertisements featuring thin versus plus-size models.

Exposing normal-size consumers to plus-size models generates less mental imagery, and thus, practitioners should seek to match the body sizes of the models featured in advertising to the body sizes of their target audience or ad campaigns that include both plus-size and thin models may help improve message persuasiveness in fashion advertising. Moreover, guilt-appeal advertising campaigns using thin models would appeal more to thin consumers of both genders than shame-appeal advertising.

This study establishes the principles and process steps of a new basic trousers pattern using measurements obtained according to the rules of the anthropometric measurement system. The newly developed pattern-making system in this study will be called the “Anthropometric Measurements Based Pattern Making System” (AnMePa). It is aimed at producing trousers that are more fitting to the body, thanks to this pattern-making system.

In this research, four pattern-making systems used in many parts of the world were compared with the “Anthropometric Measurements Based Pattern Making System” (AnMePa) with regard to the overall appearance and body fit of trousers prepared according to these systems. 10 virtual mannequins (VM) with different adult female body measurements were created, and trousers patterns were prepared for these mannequins. The trousers’ patterns were made and dressed on the mannequins in a 3D virtual dressing system. The body fit of the virtual garments was evaluated by five experts. The scores given by the experts were evaluated using the fuzzy logic method.

According to the results, it is seen that the new basic trousers pattern developed by utilizing the anthropometric measurement system, AnMePa, provides the best body fit among the basic trousers patterns created according to the other examined pattern-making systems. The combination of 3D virtual dressing and fuzzy logic in the evaluation of garment body fit is considered an innovative method for the future of fashion design and production.

In the developed AnMePa, unlike the existing pattern-making systems, values that can be associated with the body measurements of individuals in a way that could be suitable for each community were used instead of constant values in the pattern-making process. Furthermore, the integration of 3D virtual fitting and fuzzy logic in assessing garment fit is considered a pioneering approach with significant implications for the future landscape of fashion design and production.

Accurate and automatic clothing pattern making is very important in personalized clothing customization and virtual fitting room applications. Clothing pattern generating as well as virtual clothing simulation is an attractive research issue both in clothing industry and computer graphics.

Physics-based method is an effective way to model dynamic process and generate realistic clothing animation. Due to conceptual simplicity and computational speed, mass-spring model is frequently used to simulate deformable and soft objects follow the natural physical rules. We present a physics-based clothing pattern generating framework by using scanned human body model. After giving a scanned human body model, first, we extract feature points, planes and curves on the 3D model by geometric analysis, and then, we construct a remeshed surface which has been formatted to connected quad meshes. Second, for each clothing piece in 3D, we construct a mass-spring model with same topological structures, and conduct a typical time integration algorithm to the mass-spring model. Finally, we get the convergent clothing pieces in 2D of all clothing parts, and we reconnected parts which are adjacent on 3D model to generate the basic clothing pattern.

The results show that the presented method is a feasible way for clothing pattern generating by use of scanned human body model.

The main contribution of this work is twofold: one is the geometric algorithm to scanned human body model, which is specially conducted for clothing pattern design to extract feature points, planes and curves. This is the crucial base for suit clothing pattern generating. Another is the physics-based pattern generating algorithm which flattens the 3D shape to 2D shape of cloth pattern pieces.

Tactile communication that relies on the human sense of touch replicated using vibration motors is increasingly being explored for seamless communication on construction jobsite. However, the technological efficacy cannot secure the users’ acceptability of the tactile communication devices. This study aims to assess the factors affecting the wearability of such a portable tactile device based on the responses from practicing professionals.

The investigation adapted a three-step phenomenological interviewing approach to seek feedback from construction personnel in Texas, the USA, regarding the viability of wearable tactile communication. The interviewees expressed various opinions about the on-body placement upon exposure to a portable tactile feedback prototype developed for this study, which was used to derive inferences regarding the factors affecting its on-field acceptability.

All the participants of the round-table study (11 out of 11) considered tactile feedback as a viable mode of communication on construction jobsite. Seven professionals supported the integration of a tactile device with the hard hat, whereas the rest preferred tactile eyeglasses. Weatherability, rechargeability, traceability, safety and social receptivity were identified as the major factors affecting the on-body placement of the wearable tactile communication device.

This paper presents a roadmap to gain construction industry opinion on the factors that can affect the on-body placement of a wearable tactile communication device. The five aforementioned factors impacting tactile communication acceptability were used to evaluate 10 potential on-body placements. The findings have implications for research and development of wearable tactile devices and the subsequent acceptability of such a device on the jobsite.

Previous research demonstrates a consistent association between the media and body and eating related issues in children. Recent research has highlighted a role for “fat talk” to describe discourses around body size and food. One key source of media information is Disney animation films, yet to date no research study has explored the verbal content of this genre.

The present study used a content analysis to examine fat talk in Disney animation films (1937–2021; n = 53) with a focus on the frequency of fat talk, changes over time and differences between the genders and heroic statuses of the givers and receivers of fat talk. Fat talk was defined as relating to both body size and food and could be either positive or negative.

Results revealed that there was more negative than positive fat talk per film; no significant changes over time; males were the givers of significantly more positive and negative fat talk than females and were also the receivers of more negative fat talk; good characters were the givers and receivers of more positive and negative fat talk and more self-directed negative fat talk than bad characters.

The results are discussed in terms of possible legislation and parenting interventions to minimise the harm of this genre on young children.

Disney animation films may not be as benign as often thought.