Her Choice: Identity Formation and Dress Among Iranian, Muslim Women Living in the United States

The purpose of the present study was to explore how a first generation, female, Iranian, Muslim, immigrant to the United States forms an identity through dress. To investigate women’s identity formation, I used macro and micro-sociological theory as well as feminist theory to guide my understanding of what influences the women’s identity to form or reform after immigration to the United States. For each participant in the study, a symbolic meaning of veiling played a prominent role in understanding how individual and societal influences impact her dress on a daily basis