Research Article

Global trends and hotspots in the research on fashion and gender

Emel Aksoy 1 *
More Detail
1 Department of Journalism, Faculty of Communication, Akdeniz University, Antalya, TURKEY* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 16(2), April 2026, e202619, https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/18360
Published: 17 April 2026
OPEN ACCESS   98 Views   72 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

This bibliometric study examines the evolution of scholarly research on fashion and gender over a thirty-year period, with the aim of identifying key trends, intellectual structures, and emerging research hotspots in the field. Accordingly, 1,940 documents on fashion and gender were indexed in the Web of Science database between 1990 and 2022 were analyzed. Network visualization and in-depth bibliometric analyses were conducted using the CiteSpace software. The results indicate that the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia are not only the most prolific contributors to the literature but also serve as central hubs connecting other countries engaged in fashion and gender research. The most highly cited journals include Journal of Consumer Research, Fashion Theory, Sex Roles, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, highlighting the interdisciplinary character of the field, which spans fashion studies, consumer research, social psychology, business, marketing, and management. Citation burst analysis reveals that authors such as D. Crane, R. Lewis, and B. Barry have recently gained increased scholarly attention. Furthermore, keyword burst analysis demonstrates a clear shift in research focus toward themes such as social media, politics, and antecedents, reflecting broader sociocultural and technological transformations. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights for researchers by illustrating how fashion, gender, sustainability, and social media are increasingly interconnected, and how these intersections contribute to ongoing debates on inclusion and diversity within the fashion industry.
Keywords: fashion, gender, bibliometrics, CiteSpace

CITATION (APA)

Aksoy, E. (2026). Global trends and hotspots in the research on fashion and gender. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 16(2), e202619. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/18360

REFERENCES

  1. Akter, M., Rahman, M., & Radicic, D. (2022). Gender-aware framework in international entrepreneurship: How far developed? A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 14(22), Article 15326. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215326
  2. Anderson, E., & McCormack, M. (2018). Inclusive masculinity theory: Overview, reflection and refinement. Journal of Gender Studies, 27(5), 547-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2016.1245605
  3. Barry, B. (2018). (Re)fashioning masculinity: Social identity and context in men’s hybrid masculinities through dress. Gender & Society, 32(5), 638-662. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243218774495
  4. Barry, B. (2019). Fabulous masculinities: Refashioning the fat and disabled male body. Fashion Theory, 23(2), 275-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2019.1567064
  5. Bordo, S. (2004). Unbearable weight: Feminism, Western culture, and the body. University of California Press.
  6. Borgohain, D. J., Nazim, M., & Verma, M. K. (2022). Cluster analysis and network visualization of research in mucormycosis: A scientometric mapping of global publications from 2011 to 2020. Library Hi Tech, 42(1), 54-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-04-2022-0171
  7. Bourdieu, P. (2007). Masculine domination. Polity Press.
  8. Bourdieu, P. (2010). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. Routledge.
  9. Bridges, T., & Pascoe, C. J. (2018). On the elasticity of gender hegemony. In J. W. Messerschmidt, P. Y., Martin, M. A. Messner, & R. Connell (Eds.), Gender reckonings: New social theory and research (pp. 254-274). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1pwtb3r.21
  10. Broadus, R. N. (1987). Early approaches to bibliometrics. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 38(2), 127-129. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(198703)38:2<127::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-K
  11. Butler, J. (2015). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
  12. Carollo, A., Balagtas, J. P. M., Neoh, M. J.-Y., & Esposito, G. (2021). A scientometric approach to review the role of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) in parental behavior. Brain Sciences, 11(3), Article 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11030393
  13. Chen, C. M. (2017). Science mapping: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Data and Information Science, 2(2), 1-40. https://doi.org/10.1515/jdis-2017-0006
  14. Chen, C. M., Dubin, R., & Kim, M. C. (2014). Emerging trends and new developments in regenerative medicine: A scientometric update (2000-2014). Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 14(9), 1295-1317. https://doi.org/10.1517/14712598.2014.920813
  15. Cho, I., Kim, D., & Park, H. (2022). Bibliometrics and co-citation network analysis of systematic reviews of evidence-based nursing guidelines for preventing inpatient falls. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 40(2), 95-103. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000819
  16. Cho, S., & Workman, J. (2011). Gender, fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership, and need for touch. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(3), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612021111151941
  17. Connell, C. (2013). Fashionable resistance: Queer “fa(t)shion” blogging as counterdiscourse. WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, 41(1-2), 209-224. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.2013.0049
  18. Crane, D. (2012). Fashion and its social agendas: Class, gender, and identity in clothing. University of Chicago Press.
  19. Cui, Y., Mou, J., & Liu, Y. P. (2018). Knowledge mapping of social commerce research: A visual analysis using CiteSpace. Electronic Commerce Research, 18(4), 837-868. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-018-9288-9
  20. Daim, T. U., Rueda, G., Martin, H., & Gerdsi, P. (2006). Forecasting emerging technologies: Use of bibliometrics and patent analysis. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 73(8), 981-1012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2006.04.004
  21. De Boise, S. (2014). I’m not homophobic, “I’ve got gay friends.”: Evaluating the Validity of Inclusive Masculinity Men and Masculinities, 18(3), 318-339. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X14554951
  22. Diefendorf, S., & Bridges, T. (2020). On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia. Sexualities, 23(7), 1264-1284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460719876843
  23. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
  24. Entwistle, J. (2015). The fashioned body: Fashion, dress, and modern social theory. Polity Press.
  25. Falagas, M. E., Pitsouni, E. I., Malietzis, G. A., & Pappas, G. (2008). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: Strengths and weaknesses. The FASEB Journal, 22(2), 338–342. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.07-9492LSF
  26. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2020). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. Basic Books.
  27. Gill, R. (2007). Postfeminist media culture: Elements of a sensibility. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10(2), 147-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549407075898
  28. Ging, D. (2019). Alphas, betas, and incels: Theorizing the masculinities of the manosphere. Men and Masculinities, 22(4), 638-657. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X17706401
  29. Giovannini, S., Xu, Y., & Thomas, J. (2015). Luxury fashion consumption and generation Y consumers. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 19(1), 22-40. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-08-2013-0096
  30. Gross, O. V., & Pritchard, A. (1969). Documentation notes. Journal of Documentation, 25(4), 344–349. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026482
  31. Gu, D. X., Li, J., Li, X., & Liang, C. (2017). Visualizing the knowledge structure and evolution of big data research in healthcare informatics. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 98, 22-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2016.11.006
  32. Hansen, T., & Jensen, J. M. (2009). Shopping orientation and online clothing purchases: The role of gender and purchase situation. European Journal of Marketing, 43(9/10), 1154-1170. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560910976410
  33. Hérubel, J. P. V. M. (1999). Historical bibliometrics: Its purpose and significance to the history of disciplines. Libraries & Culture, 34(4), 380-388. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25548766
  34. Jones, A. R., & Stallybrass, P. (2000). Renaissance clothing and the materials of memory. Cambridge University Press.
  35. Kaiser, S. B., & Flury, A. (2005). Women in pink: On the semiotics of the colours of clothes. Zeitschrift für Semiotik, 27(3), 223-239. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298917418_Women_in_pink_On_the_semiotics_of_the_colours_of_clothes
  36. Kaiser, S. B., & Green, D. N. (2012). Fashion and cultural studies. Berg Publishers.
  37. Karaosman, H., Morales-Alonso, G., & Brun, A. (2017). From a systematic literature review to a classification framework: Sustainability integration in fashion operations. Sustainability, 9(1), Article 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9010030
  38. Kim, H., Cho, I., & Park, M. (2022). Analyzing genderless fashion trends of consumers’ perceptions on social media: Using unstructured big data analysis through latent Dirichlet allocation-based topic modeling. Fashion and Textiles, 9(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-021-00281-6
  39. Lewis, R. (2015). Muslim fashion: Contemporary style cultures. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822375340
  40. Li, K., Rollins, J., & Yan, E. (2018). Web of Science use in published research and review papers 1997-2017: A selective, dynamic, cross-domain, content-based analysis. Scientometrics, 115(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-017-2622-5
  41. Li, X.-J., Li, C.-Y., Bai, D., & Leng, Y. (2021). Insights into stem cell therapy for diabetic retinopathy: A bibliometric and visual analysis. Neural Regeneration Research, 16(1), 172-178. https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.286974
  42. Liu, W. S. (2019). The data source of this study is Web of Science core collection? Not enough. Scientometrics, 121(3), 1815-1824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-019-03238-1
  43. McRobbie, A. (2009). The aftermath of feminism: Gender, culture and social change. SAGE.
  44. Mears, A. (2011). Pricing beauty: The making of a fashion model. University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520950214
  45. Merigó, J. M., Gil-Lafuente, A. M., & Yager, R. R. (2015). An overview of fuzzy research with bibliometric indicators. Applied Soft Computing, 27, 420-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2014.10.035
  46. Messerschmidt, J. W., & Messner, M. A. (2018). Hegemonic, nonhegemonic, and “new” masculinities. In J. W. Messerschmidt, P. Y., Martin, M. A. Messner, & R. Connell (Eds.), Gender reckonings: New social theory and research (pp. 35-56). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1pwtb3r.7
  47. Mongeon, P., & Paul-Hus, A. (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: A comparative analysis. Scientometrics, 106(1), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5
  48. Noris, A., Nobile, T. H., Kalbaska, N., & Cantoni, L. (2021). Digital fashion: A systematic literature review: A perspective on marketing and communication. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 12(1), 32-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2020.1835522
  49. O’Sullivan, G. A., Hanlon, C., Spaaij, R., & Westerbeek, H. (2017). Women’s activewear trends and drivers: A systematic review. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 21(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2015-0059
  50. Peters, L. D. (2014). You are what you wear: How plus-size fashion figures in fat identity formation. Fashion Theory, 18(1), 45-71. https://doi.org/10.2752/175174114X13788163471668
  51. Pranckute, R. (2021). Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: The titans of bibliographic information in today’s academic world. Publications, 9(1), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications9010012
  52. Roach-Higgins, M. E., & Eicher, J. B. (1993). Definition and classification of dress: Implications for analysis of gender roles. In R. Barnes, & J. B. Eicher (Eds.), Dress and gender: Making and meaning (pp. 8-28). Berg.
  53. Shiau, W. L., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Tsai, C. H. (2015). Supply chain management: Exploring the intellectual structure. Scientometrics, 105(1), 215-230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1680-9
  54. Shiau, W. L., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Yang, H. S. (2017). Co-citation and cluster analyses of extant literature on social networks. International Journal of Information Management, 37(5), 390-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.04.007
  55. Small, H. (1973). Co-citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 24(4), 265–269. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.4630240406
  56. Tarlo, E. (2010). Visibly Muslim: Fashion, politics, faith. Berg Publishers. https://doi.org/10.2752/9781847888624
  57. Thorisdottir, T. S., & Johannsdottir, L. (2019). Sustainability within fashion business models: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 11(8), Article 2233. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082233
  58. Trujillo, C. M., & Long, T. M. (2018). Document co-citation analysis to enhance transdisciplinary research. Science Advances, 4(1), Article e1701130. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1701130
  59. Turner, D. M. (2002). Fashioning adultery: Gender, sex, and civility in England, 1660-1740. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511496103
  60. White, H. D., & McCain, K. W. (1998). Visualizing a discipline: An author co-citation analysis of information science, 1972–1995. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49(4), 327–355. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(19980401)49:4<327::AID-ASI4>3.0.CO;2-4
  61. Workman, J. E., & Cho, S. (2012). Gender, fashion consumer groups, and shopping orientation. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 40(3), 267-283. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-3934.2011.02110.x