Conspicuous prosumption: Expressing class via materially productive leisure

Abstract

Consumer research has conventionally considered people displaying class via readymade products and experiences acquired in the market. By contrast, this study focuses on a route to express class that counterposes the reliance on readymade market offerings as status markers. In this alternative route, termed “conspicuous prosumption,” individuals leisurely engage in slow-paced manual labor to make aesthetically appealing objects and display their creations. The conceptualization of conspicuous prosumption is based on a multi-year ethnography of fiber crafts, a leisure domain where many people combine skilled labor, numerous supplies, and discerning tastes to create material goods. The findings reveal that individuals engaged in conspicuous prosumption: 1) cast their materially productive leisure as both pleasurable and morally superior to pastimes tied to mass consumption, and 2) devise various practices to showcase their handmade creations in domestic and public settings, seeking recognition for their creativity while promoting a broader critique to consumerism. This study provides new insights into expressions of class, the cultural reevaluation of manual labor, and the interplay between leisure and morality in consumer society.