Cross-cultural Study On New Fashion's Impact On Social Identity

Today, tattooing and piercing entered in advertise as fashion elements and were made important places. Like artistic expression, they cause interest and admiration;like in the margin practice, they disturb.Researches whose are evoking the psychological and sociological aspects of body modifications like tattooing and piercing are few than the medical treatment too. It seems it exist a certain reserve with regard to this subject. Thus, the greatest part of the research in Psychology published was associated to the psychopathological or antisocial behaviors. So we want in Social Psychology to know more about the impact of these new fashions on Social Identity. Our objective is to find the motivations whose are pushing the adoption of these new fashions by the teenager of Libreville, Paris and Wuhan cities and try to find if by that adoption, Social Identity would not be in the process of disappearance?1\ The concept of "identity" is one of the most contentious in the social sciences. Race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and sexual orientation have emerged as divisive social issues under the rubric of "identity politics." Theories about identity have generally remained confined to their own disciplines with efforts only recently to link different understandings.2\ Motivations to do the tattooing or piercing vary according to the societies, which have practiced or still practice them. They can be cultural, identities, initiatory, warlike, prophylactic, aesthetic, and religious. Most of these functions were recently put in scene in various angles. On the other hand, by its function of distinction, tattooing and piercing express the entrance in modernity (fashion, trend) and symbolizes freedom, the emancipation towards the parental authority, etc. We will discuss to know if the values on which the traditional systems are based dedicated to disappear. In each city, we will choose 150 subjects in one part who have tattooing or body piercing to know why theirmotivations. In other part we will answer some common persons to give us their point of view about persons who have tattooing or body piercing.3\ The process of the lost of Social Identity of the teenagers of Libreville, Paris and Wuhan cities is using Social Identity Theory (Tajfel& Turner), Self categorization theory;Social representation Theory;Imitation and social contagion.At last, we will discuss about factors, which influence teenager's identity: age, family (parents, etc.), media, individual experience, self-esteem, and environment.