site.btaBulgarian Men View Fashion Differently from Women, Survey Shows

Bulgarian men view fashion differently from Bulgarian women, according to a survey conducted by the European fashion e-commerce platform GLAMI. Some 67% of men in Bulgaria believe that the fashion industry sets realistic expectations of a person's appearance, but only 44% of women agree with them. Asked whether these expectations are less realistic with regard to one of the sexes, 58% of men say the standards are equally (un-)realistic for men and women, while 49% of women find that expectations of beauty and appearance are less realistic for them than for men. Only 2% of women in this country agree that beauty standards are equally unrealistic for both sexes.

The survey was conducted among 20,000 respondents in nine European countries, Bulgaria included, the V+O Communication agency reported on Thursday. The data collected by the AI-driven GLAMI platform shed light on the connection between fashion trade, consumers' shopping habits and their attitude toward their bodies.

The survey shows that 55% of Bulgarian women and 72% of Bulgarian men share the view that fashion brands promote their products by working with models with different physique to make customers relate to the brand.

The findings indicate that body shape is not a leading factor influencing fashion shopping choices. About 48% of Bulgarian women shop to meet their own needs, and their shopping decisions are not influenced by whether the brand advertises various types of bodies. Forty-two per cent of Bulgarian men prioritize brands which encourage people to accept their own body, regardless of how they look.

Demand for older models such as women aged 60, 70, 80 or even 90 is growing in the fashion industry and in the beauty sector as a whole. The so-called silver tsunami is already a fact on the world fashion stage. But the trend is not visible to end-consumers, particularly older people, who now use online shopping options just as frequently as the younger generations.

Asked by GLAMI to identify the types of body whose presence in fashion ads is not strong enough, 49% of Bulgarian female respondents say the bodies of older and middle-aged people are most underused. Thirty-six per cent of Bulgarian male respondents share the view.

The international survey involved more than 2,400 Bulgarian users of the GLAMI online platform, who filled out a questionnaire. The information was collected in the first 10 days in June.