Minorities may experience increased vulnerability due to overlapping marginalizations at the individual and institutional levels. Intersectionality is crucial in understanding how additional triggering factors promoting higher vulnerability levels can alter individuals’ life trajectories. Through in-depth interviews with 25 participants, we explore how intersecting identities—such as gender, socioeconomic status, education, and race—create vulnerability. We contribute to the literature on consumer vulnerability by introducing the duality of consumer responses, distinguishing between positive actions that reduce vulnerability and negative ones that perpetuate harm, and identifying how intersectionality accelerates vulnerability.
BakerStacey M.GentryJames W.RittenburgTerri L. (2005), “Building Understanding of the Domain of Consumer Vulnerability,” Journal of Macromarketing, 25 (2), 128-139.
3.
BakerStacey M.LaBargeMonicaBakerCourtney N. (2015), “Consumer Vulnerability: Foundations, Phenomena, and Future Investigations,” in in Consumer Vulnerability: Conditions, Contexts, and Characteristics, HamiltonK.DunnettS.PiacentiniM., eds. Routledge, 13-30.
4.
BakerStacey M.MasonMarlys (2012), “Toward a Process Theory of Consumer Vulnerability and Resilience: Illuminating Its Transformative Potential,” in Transformative Consumer Research for Personal and Collective Well-Being, MickDavid G.PettigrewSimonePechmannCorneliaOzanneJulie L., eds. Taylor and Francis/Routledge, 543-563.
BenevidesBruna G.NogueiraSusana N. B. (2021), “Dossier: Murders and Violence Against Transvestites and Transsexuals in Brazil in 2020,” ANTRA - The National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals of Brazil and IBTE - The Brazilian Trans Institute of Education, 1-140.
7.
BristorJuliaFischerEileen (1995), “Exploring Simultaneous Oppressions: Toward the Development of Consumer Research in the Interest of Diverse Women,” American Behavioral Scientist, 38 (4), 526-536.
8.
ChooHae YeonFerreeMyra Marx (2010), “Practicing Intersectionality in Sociological Research: A Critical Analysis of Inclusions, Interactions, and Institutions in the Study of Inequalities,” Sociological Theory, 28 (2), 129-149.
9.
Claahsen-van der GrintenHediVerhaakChrisSteensmaThomasMiddelbergTessaRoeffenJanKlinkDaniel (2021), “Gender Incongruence and Gender Dysphoria in Childhood and Adolescence,” European Journal of Pediatrics, 180 (5), 1349-1357.
10.
CollinsPatricia H. (2015), “Intersectionality's Definitional Dilemmas,” Annual Review of Sociology, 41 (1), 1-20.
11.
CommuriSurajEkiciAhmet (2008), “An Enlargement of the Notion of Consumer Vulnerability,” Journal of Macromarketing, 28 (2), 183-186.
12.
CorusCananSaatciogluBigeKaufman-ScarboroughCarolBlockerChristopher P.UpadhyayaShikraAppauSamuelson (2016), “Transforming Poverty-Related Policy with Intersectionality,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 35 (2), 211-222.
13.
CrenshawKimberlé (1989), “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine,” Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989 (8).
14.
CrenshawKimberlé (1991), “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color,” Stanford Law Review, 43 (6), 1241-1299.
15.
CrockettDavidAndersonLaurelBoneSterling A.RoyAbhijtWangJeff J.CobleGarrett (2011), “Immigration, Culture, and Ethnicity in Transformative Consumer Research,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 30 (1), 47-54.
16.
CrockettDavidWallendorfMelanie (2004), “The Role of Normative Political Ideology in Consumer Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (3), 511-528.
17.
CrosbyElizabethMcKeageKimRittenburgTerri L.AdkinsNatalie R. (2023), “Amplifying Marginalized Consumers’ Voices: A Case for Trauma-Informed Qualitative Methodologies,” International Journal of Market Research, 65 (2–3), 320-339.
18.
DeChantsJoseph P.SheltonJasonAnyonYevgeniyBenderKeith (2022), “'It Kinda Breaks My Heart': LGBTQ Young Adults’ Responses to Family Rejection,” Family Relations, 71 (3), 968-986.
19.
DeutschAndreas (2023), “Toward Market Orchestration of Distributive Justice: Rearticulation of the Integrative Justice Model for Social Programs,” Journal of Macromarketing, 1 (15), 507-521.
20.
FedericiSilvia (2020), Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle. PM Press.
González-JiménezAdriana J.FischerVera (2017), “Gender and Sexual Orientation Among Adolescents in Brazil: An Analysis of the Prejudice and Bullying in the Educational Context,” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 237 (1), 38-43.
23.
GopaldasAhir (2013), “Intersectionality 101,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 32 (1), 90-94.
24.
GopaldasAhirDeRoyGlenna (2015), “An Intersectional Approach to Diversity Research,” Consumption Markets and Culture, 18 (4), 333-364.
25.
GopaldasAhirFischerEileen (2012), “Beyond Gender: Intersectionality, Culture, and Consumer Behavior,” in Gender, Culture, and Consumer Behavior, GopaldasAhirFischerEileen, eds. Routledge, 393-410.
26.
GopaldasAhirSiebertAnton (2018), “Women Over 40, Foreigners of Colour, and Other Missing Persons in Globalising Mediascapes: Understanding Marketing Images as Mirrors of Intersectionality,” Consumption Markets and Culture, 21 (4), 323-346.
27.
GurrieriLucaPreviteJosephineProtheroAndrea (2020), “Hidden in Plain Sight: Building Visibility for Critical Gender Perspectives Exploring Markets, Marketing, and Society,” Journal of Macromarketing, 40 (4), 437-444.
HembreeWylie C.Cohen-KettenisPeggy T.GoorenLouisHannemaSabine E.MeyerWalter J.MuradM. HassanT’SjoenGuy G. (2017), “Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 102 (11), 3869-3903.
30.
HenryPaul C. (2005), “Social Class, Market Situation, and Consumers’ Metaphors of (Dis)Empowerment,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (4), 766-778.
HoltDouglas B.ThompsonCraig J. (2004), “Man-of-Action Heroes: The Pursuit of Heroic Masculinity in Everyday Consumption,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (2), 425-440.
33.
HughtoJohn M.MeyersDaniel J.MimiagaMatthew J.ReisnerSari L.CahillSean (2022), “Uncertainty and Confusion Regarding Transgender Non-Discrimination Policies: Implications for the Mental Health of Transgender Americans,” Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19 (3), 1069-1079.
34.
In-iwSiriporn (2020), “Non-Prescribed Cross-Sex Hormone Use and Risky Behaviors Among Thai Transgender Youth,” Journal of Adolescent Health: Transforming Risk to Wellness, 6 (2), S88.
35.
JangSeungwookKimJungyoun (2018), “Remedying Food Policy Invisibility with Spatial Intersectionality: A Case Study in the Detroit Metropolitan Area,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 37 (1), 167-187.
36.
JesusJaqueline G. (2013), “Feminismo e identidade de gênero: Elementos para a construção da teoria transfeminista,” Brasília - EDA/FBN, 563034, 1-41.
37.
KcomtLeahGoreyKevin M.BarrettBrian J.McCabeSean E. (2020), “Healthcare Avoidance Due to Anticipated Discrimination Among Transgender People: A Call to Create Trans-Affirmative Environments,” SSM - Population Health, 11 (1), 100608.
38.
LeonardiNatalie R.CompoginisJames M.LuceElizabeth A. (2016), “Illicit Cosmetic Silicon Injection,” Annals of Plastic Surgery, 77 (4), 485-490.
39.
LimaFlavioCruzKatiucha T. (2016), “Os Processos de Hormonização e a Produção do Cuidado em Saúde na Transexualidade Masculina” [Hormonization Processes and the Production of Health Care in Male Transsexuality],” Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad: Revista Latinoamericana, 23 (Aug), 162-186.
40.
Lima SilvaCarlaOliveira MatosLuiz E.SassaquiAndressa RibeiroDias de Oliveira FilhoAlfredoda RochaChiara E.de Carvalho BritoGiselle (2024), “Quality of Life and Level of Satisfaction with Pharmacotherapeutic Follow-Up in a Transgender Health Center in Brazil,” Scientific Reports, 14 (1), 4259.
41.
Lobato, Maria I., Bianca M. Soll, Angelo Brandelli Costa, Ana Saadeh, Daniela A. Gagliotti, Ana Fresán, and Roberto Robles (2019), “Psychological Distress Among Transgender People in Brazil: Frequency, Intensity and Social Causation – An ICD-11 Field Study,” Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 41 (4), 310-315.
42.
McCallLeslie (2005), “The Complexity of Intersectionality,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 30 (3), 1771-1800.
43.
McCrackenGrant (1988), The Long Interview. Sage.
44.
McKeageKimCrosbyElizabethRittenburgTerri (2018), “Living in a Gender-Binary World: Implications for a Revised Model of Consumer Vulnerability,” Journal of Macromarketing, 38 (1), 73-90.
45.
MeerTaliaMüllerAlex (2017), “Considering Intersectionality in Africa,” Agenda (Durban, South Africa), 31 (1), 3-4.
46.
PaulinoDaniela B.Pastor-ValeroMariaMachinRosa (2022), “‘This Family Rejection Harmed My Health as Well’: Intersections Between the Meanings of Family and Health for Trans People and Family Members in a Trans Healthcare Service in Brazil,” Global Public Health, 17 (7), 1330-1342.
47.
PaviaTeresa M.MasonMarlys (2014), “Vulnerability and Physical, Cognitive, and Behavioral Impairment: Model Extensions and Open Questions,” Journal of Macromarketing, 34 (4), 471-485.
48.
PintoThayna P.TeixeiraFelipe D. B.BarrosCarla R. D. S.MartinsRenata B.SaggeseGabriel S. R.BarrosDenise D.VerasMaria A. D. S. M. (2017), “Use of Industrial Liquid Silicone to Transform the Body: Prevalence and Factors Associated with Its Use Among Transvestites and Transsexual Women in São Paulo, Brazil,” Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 33 (7), 1-13.
49.
Purdie-VaughnsValerieEibachRichard P. (2008), “Intersectional Invisibility: The Distinctive Advantages and Disadvantages of Multiple Subordinate-Group Identities,” Sex Roles, 59 (1), 377-391.
50.
RomanelliMaryLindseyM. A. (2020), “Patterns of Healthcare Discrimination among Transgender Help-Seekers,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58 (4), e123-e131.
51.
Rosa-SalasMarcelSobandeFrancesca. (2022), “Hierarchies of Knowledge About Intersectionality in Marketing Theory and Practice,” Marketing Theory, 22 (2), 175-189.
52.
SaatciogluBigeCorusCanan. (2014), “Poverty and Intersectionality: A Multidimensional look into the Lives of the Impoverished,” Journal of Macromarketing, 34 (2), 122-132.
53.
ShultzCliffordHolbrookMorris (2009), “The Paradoxical Relationships Between Marketing and Vulnerability,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 28 (1), 124-127.
54.
SpiggleSusan (1994), “Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data in Consumer Research,” Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (3), 491-503.
55.
SpizzirriGiancarloEufrásioRaíLimaMaria Cristina P.de Carvalho NunesHélio R.KreukelsBaudewijntje P.SteensmaThomas D.AbdoCarmita H. N (2021), “Proportion of People Identified as Transgender and non-Binary Gender in Brazil,” Scientific Reports, 11 (1), 2240.
StaufferCarolyn S. (2015), “The Sexual Politics of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: Linking Public and Private worlds,” Journal of Sociology and Christianity, 5 (1), 1-16.
58.
SteinfieldLaurelHoltDiane (2020), “Structures, Systems, and Differences That Matter: Casting an Ecological-Intersectionality Perspective on Female Subsistence Farmers’ Experiences of the Climate Crisis,” Journal of Macromarketing, 40 (4), 563-582.
59.
SteinfieldLaurelSanghviMinitaZayerLinda T.ColemanCatherine A.OurahmouneNacimaHarrisonR. L.Brace-Govan (2019), “Transformative Intersectionality: Moving Business Towards a Critical Praxis,” Journal of Business Research, 100 (1), 366-375.
60.
ThompsonCraig J. (1997), “Interpreting Consumers: A Hermeneutical Framework for Deriving Marketing Insights from the Texts of Consumers’ Consumption Stories,” Journal of Marketing Research, 34 (4), 438-455.
61.
ThompsonCraig J.LocanderWilliam B.PollioHoward R. (1989), “Putting Consumer Experience Back into Consumer Research: The Philosophy and Method of Existential-Phenomenology,” Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (2), 133-146.
VeresiuElaParmentierMarie Anne (2021), “Advanced Style Influencers: Confronting Gendered Ageism in Fashion and Beauty Markets,” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 6 (2), 263-273.
65.
WalshGianfrancoMitchellVincent-Wayne (2005), “Consumer Vulnerability to Perceived Product Similarity Problems: Scale Development and Identification,” Journal of Macromarketing, 25 (2), 140-152.
66.
WinkerGabrieleDegeleNina (2011), “Intersectionality as Multi-Level Analysis: Dealing with Social Inequality,” European Journal of Women's Studies, 18 (1), 51-66.
67.
WooliscroftBenKoEunju (2023), “WEIRD is not Enough: Sustainability Insights from Non-WEIRD Countries,” Journal of Macromarketing, 43 (2), 171-174.
