Fashion and Motherhood - Image, Material, Identity

Motherhood, whether achieved through biological or other means, is not a rare experience; dressing oneself, even less so. The two phenomena are intimately linked, as both occur on and to the private body, and are also fully subject to social pressures and the changing tides of public opinion. They also, for anyone who experiences motherhood, define one another and work together to shape an individual''s identity and place in their culture. This rich collection explores the essential question of how motherhood and fashion interact, interrogating their relationships to power, misogyny, temporality, longing and embodiment, among other themes. The 13 essays examine representations on film, in popular print and literature; they use images, narrative and material evidence from the past to excavate the historical cleavages in how mothers have been expected to hide, display, share and sacrifice their bodies. An international range of scholars explores the 19th to the 21st centuries, tracing how fashion and motherhood have operated as powerfully interdependent experiences and continue to determine how women are judged and corralled, yet also find meaning, connection and strength.

Product details

• Authors: Laura Snelgrove
• Assisted by: Laura Snelgrove (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 01.08.2025
• EAN: 9781350276734
• ISBN: 978-1-350-27673-4
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Interior design, design; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, HISTORY / Social History, DESIGN / Fashion & Accessories, DESIGN / History & Criticism, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, 21st century, c 2000 to c 2100, Fashion & society, Fashion design & theory, history of design, History of fashion, Gender studies: women, Gender studies: women and girls, Cultural studies: dress and society