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Conversations surrounding gender are sweeping the globe as the voices and lived experiences of people are being heard and shared at unprecedented rates. Discourses about gender in advertising are embedded in cultural narratives and legitimatized by a broad system of institutional structures and actors, at both macro and micro/consumer levels. This study aims to explore how consumers (one type of institutional actor) engage in legitimizing/delegitimizing messages of gender in the marketplace.

This research draws on a qualitative approach, specifically the use of in-depth interviews with men across three global contexts.

This research identifies the ways in which men engage in (de)legitimizing messages of masculinity in advertising such as reiteration, reframing, ascribing to alternate logics and prioritizing personal norms.

Across three contexts, this research theorizes the (de)legitimization of gender ideals in advertising and situates consumer narratives within broader institutional forces, providing a holistic understanding of the phenomenon.

Understanding the ways in which individuals either accept or reject gendered ideals in media aids advertising and marketing professionals in tailoring messages that resonate with audiences.

Understanding how individuals negotiate their gender and the messages they deem as legitimate are crucial to understanding gender issues related to consumer welfare and public policy.

While research has examined advertising practitioners’ views regarding gender from an institutional perspective, research on how consumers construct and maintain the legitimacy of gendered messages in the marketplace is scarce. This research theorizes and illustrates the (de)legitimization of gender ideals across three contexts.

In response to calls for more research on gender(s) in digital contexts, this paper aims to ask, how do individuals engage in self-presentation of their gender identities on social media?

Using a multi-method qualitative approach, this research explores the narratives of 17 Millennials as they negotiate their online gender expressions with a particular focus on the image-based social platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Specifically, in-depth interviews, a collage technique and visual data from informants’ social media pages were analyzed to identify emergent themes.

Drawing on the theoretical work of Goffman’s (1971) self-presentation and Butler’s (1999) gender performance, this research highlights a pervading discourse of authenticity or the desire for Millennial social media users to craft and perform a perceived “authentic self” online. This often entails both expressions of gender fluidly and gender policing. Further, four strategies emerge in the data which reveal how individuals negotiate and navigate their gendered self-presentation online, either in an agentic manner or as a protective measure.

While much research exists on online self-presentation, gender(s) has been under-researched in a digital context. Existing studies examine the content of social media pages (e.g. Facebook profiles or women’s Instagram pages) as it relates to gender, but largely do not explore the lived experiences and narratives of individuals as they negotiate their gendered expressions. In addition, the use of visual data through the collage technique adds valuable insight into how gender is experienced and performed. Findings reveal that while Millennials are often touted as a gender-fluid generation, tensions still exist in online gendered expressions.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the consumer‐brand typology developed by Fournier to a segment of heterosexual male shoppers of fashion and grooming products.

In‐depth interviews, collage constructions, and shopping trip observations are the three methods of inquiry in this research.

A total of 13 of the 15 brand relationships detailed by Fournier are affirmed. Three new relationships emerge in the data demonstrating the fluidity of the typology across market segments and sociocultural contexts.

The research findings provide implications for other consumption contexts which aid in identity construction. In addition, some of the new relationships that emerge from the text may be prevalent among other segments of men, and/or women.

Managers must be cognizant of the variety of brand relationships that men form with regard to fashion and grooming in order to effectively appeal to this growing market. The new relationships identified exhibit the goal‐driven nature of men's engagement with brands. The prevalence of secretive and adversarial relationships also demonstrates that marketers and retailers must be mindful of men's boundaries of consumption.

Fournier highlights the importance of context to brand relationships. However, little research has investigated the relevance of the original typology across contexts and across segments. This research explores a particular sociocultural consumption context and discovers new relationship forms not previously identified among a segment of male shoppers.

The aim of this paper is to provide an advanced understanding of the dynamics of a scholarly career.

An assemblage of a theoretic lens was adopted to help make sense of how the focal scholar came to have certain capacities and characteristics and how these evolved over time.

The critical determinants of the capacities of this scholar have arisen from intersections with the institutions she has been a part of and individuals with whom she has been privileged to interact.

This paper is the first to adapt an assemblage theoretic lens to make sense of a professional’s career accomplishments and trajectory and to draw inferences for career management from this perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the contributions presented in this special section on the selfie phenomenon and its significance for marketing practice and scholarship.

The significance of the topic is reviewed and themes related to the selfie phenomenon and marketplace issues are discussed in connection with extant research. The contributions of each paper are briefly highlighted and discussed.

Although the selfie is a relatively new phenomenon, both marketing practice and scholarship have noticed its prominence in consumer lives and potential for generating marketplace insights. Despite its frequently presumed triviality, the selfie is a multifaceted phenomenon of significance to key marketing areas such as branding, consumer behavior or market research. Possible avenues for future research are outlined.

Key issues relating to research into the selfie phenomenon for marketing scholars are illuminated.