Customer Reviews

Feminine Ideal (Reaktion Books - Picturing History)

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_Feminine Ideal_ is quite an impressive book. Like all Reaktion Books in this series, the volume is very well illustrated and the author is an expert on the topic.

Thesander's writing is very matter-of-fact and in many ways it lacks a certain element of storytelling. Neverthless, the information she presents is fascinating in and of itself and she knows her subject well.

The book concentrates largely on the female body through fashion rather than the shape of the body itself or what shape of body is deemed popular in a particular time period. However these subjects are also broached.

The reality that fashion marches to its own drum is well documented by the often unhealthy and over-the-top types of fashion created for the woman. The role of men in dictating these ideals is clearly established though with the women's movement this begins to change. The somewhat depressing note that those of us who do not fit into the ideal shape of women at any given time is explored but fortunately the results aren't so devestating for those of us living in modern times. The many arguments surrounding the feminine ideal are presented and especially in the 20th century, the diversity of female forms, are laid out, argued over, but all in all, shown to be representative of our freedom of choice rather than oppressive to some, liberating for others.

The corset is one of several key fashions explored in this book as is the tendency of women to begin dressing like men during the women's rights movement. I was surprised to learn that a woman was actually behind one of the first brassiere creations, having been told they were a product of men.

I expect this book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the evolution of fashion, the role of women within society, and the ideas on attractiveness as largely dictated by men. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and learned an incredible amount on a subject I knew very little about.