Do You Dress Like Your Teenage Daughter? Research Says Mothers’ Buying Habits are Influenced by Their Daughters, not the Other Way Around.

Do you buy the same beauty products and clothing as your teenage daughter or is she influenced by your buying habits?

A new study from Temple University Fox School of Business indicates that teenage girls have a strong influence on the consumer buying habits of their moms, especially when it comes to purchases of clothing and cosmetics.

And I thought I was the influential consumer in my family.  But thinking about the results of this study makes me realize that I was not, although I can state unequivocally that, while I am intrigued by the beauty products my daughters use, they did not influence my clothing purchases at all. I like the look of Uggs paired with a flouncy skirt and a lace camisole. (Fine, I admit that it wasn’t my best look.) I enjoyed carrying a black canvas tote with pink roses and skulls. (Ok, I concede. It was comfortable to carry but didn’t look that great with a business suit.)  As for the skinny jeans I paired with stiletto heels and a glittery top, I confess that all that was missing was a disco ball. But I thought I looked hot.  Hm, I guess my daughters did/do influence my clothing purchases more than I thought.

Writes lead author Dr. Ayalla A. Ruvio in an upcoming Journal of Consumer Behavior article, “This finding provides initial support for the notion of reverse socialization and suggests that the impact adolescents have on their parents is much more profound than has been credited to them.” This phenomenon, named the consumer doppelganger effect, is a conscious one on the part of the consumer. In other words, mothers intentionally choose to emulate their daughters by mimicking their buying behavior.

I’m biased when it comes to my daughters. While I recognize that it’s naturally impossible for the sun to really rise and set on them, it still surprises me that it doesn’t. I do have incredibly fabulous girls. They’re smart, ambitious, responsible, reliable, funny, passionate, compassionate, dedicated, beautiful. Truly, each has too many positive attributes to list here. I’d happily do it but you’d be bored. I have a tendency to go on and on when it comes to my daughters. In fact – and please DO NOT tell them this – my girls are everything I was not when I was a teenager. I like to blame the times, but my teenage years were spent in the pursuit of the perfect lipgloss, body spray, platform shoes and boys.  And not in that order. My primary concern was not to wear the same outfit twice in a month. My girls, on the other hand, graduated at the top of their high school and university classes and are pursuing exciting and demanding careers. They are using their brains when, at their age, I relied on my eyelashes.

Ok, I’ll remove the hairshirt and stop demeaning myself – although it is largely true. Ask anyone who knew me back then. But back to the study …

The research, conducted through questionnaires sent to 343 mother-daughter pairs, with an average age of 44 for the moms and 16 for the daughters, found that if the mother has a high interest in fashion, is young at heart and perceives her daughter to be a style expert, she will emulate her daughter’s buying behavior. (Does this finally explain my obsession for sparkly, glittery eyeshadow and lipgloss?)

However, reports the study, daughters, regardless of their interest in fashion and even if they have an older cognitive age (thinking they’re older than their years,) are less likely to follow in the consuming credit card swipes of their mothers. Yes, I  can imagine this to be true. My daughters are much more adventurous than am I when it comes to dressing. They eschew using eyeliner, on most occasions, where I’m likely to wear it to the beach. And I’m much more likely to glom their hair products than they are to borrow mine.

The final analysis? The consumer doppelganger effect is not “bidirectional,” but “children affect their parents’ consumption behavior with regard to the products that the parents themselves consume.”

Not a bad thing, in my opinion. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy a new outfit for an upcoming luncheon at the Four Seasons. Let’s see, little black dress or something a bit more daring? I’m going to ask my daughters … They’ll know.

And, on a related subject, read my post about dressing your age.