Creating the Modern Woman

Dressing Advice Published in the Kotiliesi, Emäntälehti and Toveritar Magazines as Civic Education in the 1920s and 1930s

Authors

• Arja Turunen University of Jyväskylä, orcid.org/0000-0002-3589-5380 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3589-5380

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.83055

Keywords:

dress, fashion, women's magazines, 1920s, 1930s, civic education, hygiene, consumption, dress, fashion, women's magazines, 1920s, 1930s, civic eduvation, hygiene, consumption

Abstract

In the late 19^th century and early 20^th century, the aim of the Finnish (upper- and middle-class) women’s movement was to educate Finnish women to become civilized, honorable, economical, and hard-working women. In this article, Arja Turunen studies how the new feminine ideals were present in advice concerning fashion and dress published in Finnish women’s magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. The three magazines that were analyzed were Kotiliesi, Emäntälehti and Toveritar. The magazines emphasized the practical and economical aspects of purchasing and wearing clothes. On the one hand, their advice reflected the economic situation of their low-income readers. On the other hand, the suggestions also represented the civic education ideals of the era and marked the emergence of consumer culture. As the magazines advised women to dress according to the situation and their status, and to acknowledge the demands of functionality, hygiene, and economy, they taught modern ideas of health and civilized conduct to their readers. At the same time, they aimed to change the lifestyle, values, norms, and appearance of their readers and transform them into modern citizens trained to self-monitor their behavior. While Kotiliesi and Emäntälehti represented the bourgeois women’s movement and Toveritar the workers’ movement, there were no significant differences in their advice on dress.