Sample Interview Protocol
An interview Protocol to Probe the interrelationship between online clothing advertisement and body shamming
Interviewer’s Name and Title—————————————–
Interviewee’s Name and Title: —————————————
Interview Date and Time: ——————————————–
Duration of the Interview: ——————————————-
Introduction and Direction to the interviewee
You have been selected to speak to us today on the topic because you represent the demographic that use the online clothing stores to purchase what you wear; therefore, you are versed with matters of body shaming in the media. My research project as a whole focuses on the concept of body imaging in this era, where weight gain is the order of the day. In particular, I am interested in body-shaming, as shown by advertisements generated by online clothing stores. The study does not aim to evaluate your position on the matter; rather, we seek to learn more from your experience.
Key Research Questions to be asked
Do you buy your clothes online?
How is the experience compared to the physical stores downtown?
How do you get to know about their new arrival? Like, do you follow them in their social media handles?
Do you give your feedback and make your order through social media?
How would you describe their services?
Do you usually get all your clothes in the same store?
Have you ever felt left out by some brands because they are either too small or too large for you? How did it make you feel?
Tell me about your concept of perfect body shape and weight.
Do you think you have what you just described?
Looking back to your online stores, do they have you or your friends in mind when they are restocking?
Would you say that their advertisements appeal to people of different body shapes?
Looking at the covers of their advertisements, do they feature people of varied body sizes?
Do your online shops use ordinary people in their advertisements? If not, whom do they use?
How does watching a perfect image advertising clothing you wish to wear but does not meet your body type make you feel?
Do you feel that some of the advertisements are inadvertently sending a wrong message to people with big body sizes?
Can you think of an instance where you thought that an advertisement about a cloth was promoting an ideology if a given body shape?
Is there an instance where you have met someone and thought they were not good enough in that particular cloth?
What is your view about body size and shape concerning clothing in general?
If a store only focuses on celebrity-like body shapes, does it make you want to go to the gym?
Do you think that your body size and shape would grant you a slot in the cover of clothing advertisements? Why or why not?
Probes to follow Key Questions
What do you think should online clothing stores do to bring every client on board without discrimination?
Should we have laws of advertisements reviewed to eliminate over-emphasis on perfect body types in the online cloth industry?
What else do you think should change?
In your view, between male and female, who do you think is under more pressure after seeing clothe adverts to work on their body? Explain.
What advice would you give anyone seeking to look different, at least like celebrities in the cover photos of clothesline?
Transition messages to the interviewer
Space for recording interviewer’s comment
Reflective Notes