International fashion magazines are now all over mainland China and enjoy high readership especially among female college students. This study investigates the impact of psychological and sociological motives on the use of fashion magazines among female college students in Shanghai. It examines whether those who belong to specific SES groups differ in terms of seven motivations for reading fashion magazines, and whether each of these seven motives are significant predictors of fashion magazine use.

An online survey was conducted to gather data. The results showed that students from three socioeconomic classes did not significantly differ from each other in terms of any of the seven psychological and sociological motives tested. Three psychological motives—enhancing current body image, enhancing future body image, and displaying high socioeconomic status—were found to be significant predictors of fashion magazine use. The sociological motives—consumerism, feminism, experiencing an affluent lifestyle, and escaping political propaganda—did not significantly influence fashion magazine use.

The findings suggest that the student-respondents held rational attitudes about fashion magazines and what they contain. They did not regard fashion magazines as a major source of information to assist them in the process of socialization. The results also suggest that sociological motives may not directly affect media use, but they are nonetheless related to psychological motivations that predict media consumption.