Modernisering, consumptiecultuur en vrouwelijke individualisering. Een analyse van modevertogen in Nederland, 1880-1920

Samenvatting

Modernization, Consumption Culture and Feminine Individualization. An Analysis of Fashion Discourse in the Netherlands, 1880-1920. Since the mid-19th century, the subject of "individualization" has been a central theme in sociological and anthropological thought. It is striking how, even now, leading commentators debate the issue in gender-blind terms. Feminist scholars have therefore criticized the mainstream debate about individualization, arguing that women have been excluded from the Western development of individualization. This article advocates the point of view that, while being excluded by "masculine" logics of individualization, women have at the same time been subjected in multiple ways to "other" -- and indeed often trivialized -- logics of individualization. It is argued that the emergence of modern phenomena such as consumption culture and fashion were important arenas of female individualization, although of course not the only ones. The arguments are underpinned by an analysis of Dutch fashion magazines, 1880-1920. The analysis highlights how the editorials taught women to conceive of themselves as "modern" individuals. Fashion discourse educated women as self-defining beings, increasingly aware of themselves and their unique outward appearance. 2 Illustrations. Adapted from the source document.