[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Clancy_Sarah.jpg” caption=”Sarah Jane Clancy is a PhD student in sociology. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Playing dress-up is a normal part of childhood, but what role does clothing play in the development of a child's self-image? Sarah Jane Clancy, a PhD student in sociology, is trying to answer that question.

Clancy says pop culture has “degraded and sexualized” childhood, especially for young girls, who often wear clothes that make them look older to fit in with their peers.

This shift in attitudes toward childhood is partly due to “changing parenting styles,” she explains, adding that parents are giving kids more autonomy and spending power to buy their own clothes.

“Adult images are being marketed to kids,” says Clancy, referring to pop culture icons such as Hilary Duff and the Olsen twins, whose clothing lines are aimed at children between the ages of eight and 13, also known as tweens.

Supervised by sociology professor Charlene Miall, Clancy's research project, entitled End of Innocence: Social Construction of Childhood Through Fashion, will examine pop culture references and how they influence the development of childhood identity.

She will examine advertisements, catalogues, magazines and flyers aimed at the tween market, as well as in-depth interviews with tweens and their guardians.

After completing her BA at McMaster and her MA at the University of Guelph, she returned to McMaster for her PhD.

“I always knew McMaster was the place I wanted to finish,” says Clancy, who plans to work in academia after she completes her PhD. “I love doing research and being in the classroom. I find both rewarding and wouldn't want to choose between them.”