Understanding luxury shaming: a multi-study exploration using qualitative inquiry and generative AI

Abstract

This research investigates luxury shaming—the social act of assigning negative judgment or disapproval to individuals who engage in luxury consumption. We explore how consumers shame others, and how shamed consumers experience, feel, and cope with such judgments. Methodologically, we integrate traditional qualitative techniques and innovative Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) analysis. Results reveal that luxury shaming is enacted through distinct shaming categories found in the marketplace—intellectual, economic, socio-cultural, physical/aesthetic, and ethical/moral—and triggers emotional responses ranging from embarrassment to guilt and anxiety. Furthermore, we identify three bipolar coping dimensions—stylistic, social-interactive, and value-related—each encompassing two distinct strategies that consumers use to maintain engagement with luxury consumption. Key contributions include expanding the luxury consumption literature by examining its negative consequences, advancing the understanding of shaming-related emotions in consumer behavior, and, methodologically, demonstrating GenAI’s role in complementing qualitative analysis.