Remember this old Dolly Parton song?

Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' They just use your mind and you never get the credit It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it 9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you There's a better life and you think about it, don't you?

Of course we do, Dolly.

Written in 1980, the song captures how the work life affected women. Today, it appears that women are not just thinking about a better life but are actually doing something about it—well, at least those who have the option. Enough of the fast lane. Why endure the stressful life of the girlboss when there is a better life—the blissful life of the tradwife?

The Tradwife

The King’s College London (2025) defines a tradwife as a modern-day housewife who embraces traditional gender roles—typically focusing on homemaking, childcare, and supporting her husband—while often sharing her idealized lifestyle on social media.

Housework tends to be seen as drudgery, yet tradwives on social platforms certainly know how to make us forget this by curating an image of homemaking that is inspiring, effortless, and desirable. While many share useful tips and knowledge, how some tradwife influencers make food from scratch in floral or skimpy dresses, with full make up, when they have babies or young children to care for, raises the question—Is it parody? Is it fantasy? What it is—as have been discussed by many commentators—is a business. It’s a way for stay-at-home moms to earn income, so it’s essentially working from home. For the successful ones, with over 500k followers on Instagram, this is substantial earnings, certainly enough for them to pay someone to take care of their children or to do the household chores while they film.

The tradwife trend continues to spark controversy.

Tradwives on social media have surged in popularity over the past few years, attracting both praise and criticism. In the US, their rise has been framed as a cultural resistance to the girlboss culture, and for some, as a political resistance to liberalism—the cultural and ideological framework that conservatives perceive value working women over women who are homemakers. Check out, if you haven’t, the social platforms of Classically Abby and Nara Smith.

In the UK, tradwife culture is not directly tied to party politics, nonetheless it is shaped by the rise of conservatism in recent years. The ideal of domestic life as something that British women should aspire to is reflected in the success of UK tradwife influencers, such as Emily (@maverickmother) and Thuy Improta (@ministryfromhome). While this aspiration can be linked to nostalgia and faith, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey (1984 to 2022) conducted by King’s College London, the trend is more of a reflection of widespread burn out and frustration with a labor market that fails to provide work-life balance or adequate accommodation of family life.

The tradwife trend continues to spark controversy. Some view it as women’s natural gender role, often justified by religious beliefs, while some see it as regressive and antifeminist. In contrast, others argue that women who choose to be homemakers (but what about men, though?—more on that later) can still be aligning themselves with feminism as feminism is about choice for women. Yes, but some choices in life come with privilege, and so does the choice of being a traditional wife in the real sense of being a stay-at-home mom or wife who does not work to earn income. Certainly, in today’s economic climate, only a minority of families can survive on a single income. This adds to the controversy surrounding the idealization of the tradwife life on social media—it is sometimes despised as it sparks class antagonism. For some others, however, it’s simply a fantasy being sold—something to enjoy, nothing more than social media entertainment.

Idealization of Domestic Life Through the Times

Why has the idealization of women’s traditional role re-emerged as a trend in recent years in the US and UK, and across other Western countries? Looking back, we see a recurring pattern: domestic life for women tends to be idealized during periods of economic crisis, instability, war, and geopolitical conflict. For example, with the collapse of the German economy following World War I, the country looked to the Nazi regime to rebuild the country. The Weimar era of women’s emancipation was quickly replaced by the idealization of women’s domesticity and motherhood was institutionalized as civic duty. During the Great Depression of 1929, in Western Europe and the US, traditional wife ideals were reinforced and women were pressured to leave the labor market, countering the gains of the suffragette movement.

In contrast, the postwar economic boom following World War II saw the rise of the suburban housewife ideal in Western Europe and the US. Prewar nostalgia and anxieties about instability made traditional values feel safe. However, this reality was further intensified by Cold War cultural politics, where governments promoted the nuclear family—with husband as breadwinner and wife as homemaker—as the model household that is essential for maintaining the stability of the capitalist economy and the moral strength of Western democracy.

The 1970s and 1980s were marked with economic stagflation and social upheaval in both the US and the UK under the Reagan and Thatcher era. Dissatisfaction with liberal policies, economic struggles, and perceived moral decline following the cultural changes achieved in the 1960s gave rise to an era of conservatism that tied the revival of traditional family values with national politics.

... domestic life for women tends to be idealized during periods of economic crisis, instability, war and geopolitical conflict.

The 1990s was a decade of multiculturalism, globalization, and advances in women’s rights, yet these developments coexisted uneasily with conservative backlash and cultural anxieties. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, security concerns took precedence, sidelining globalization and fueling a shift toward nationalism and cultural conservatism. At the same time, rising inequality had already begun to erode middle‑class stability, setting the foundation for the 2008 economic collapse. Inevitably, the 2008 financial crisis was met with a populist revival. As in earlier periods of instability, the surge of conservative populism in Europe and the US drew on family and tradition as anchors of stability.

Similarly, the uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic—combined with the current economic downturn, perceived failure of liberal policies, and ongoing geopolitical conflicts—has fueled political polarization and a cultural revival of conservatism and traditional domestic ideals. Amid these instabilities, support for the idealization of women's domesticity grew stronger, as reflected in today’s tradwife trend.

It’s interesting to note that surveys conducted in the past years reveal that heterosexual couples are happier when they are able to fulfill their livelihood within traditional gender norms and that men experience adverse mental health issues when they cannot meet societal expectation of being the primary earner. This has been discussed in a previous blog post here. Amid the economic downturn of recent years, these findings are in line with the pattern of economic instability and a resurgence of traditional norms.

Labor Disguised as Love

What is striking is that women’s traditionally ascribed work is viewed as having no economic value, while in reality, domestic work plays a crucial role in providing the labor market with ready workers, thus sustaining the wider economy. The freshly ironed shirt prepared for a husband to wear to work, the hard-boiled eggs made before he faces the day, and the children raised for the next generation of workers are all examples of how household labor underpins the capitalist system. Economically devalued, household work and caregiving are unpaid labor disguised as love—essential, invisible work that allows the system to perpetuate itself.

What is also striking is that tradwives on social media have commodified the imagery of the traditional wife and her unpaid labor through big tech platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. In addition, they have become mouthpieces for conservative ideology. Yet, ironically, these successful tradwife influencers—who monetize the alternate lifestyle of domestic bliss—are, in another form, girlbosses themselves.

Economically devalued, household work and caregiving are unpaid labor disguised as love ...

Tradwives on social media may—for a few minutes or hours—divert other women from the exhaustion of nine-to-five work into a nostalgic vision of blissful family life; nonetheless, it is a path only accessible to a minority of people. To improve the lives of the majority, the real focus should be on structural changes in policies and the labor market. Such changes should promote genuine work-life balance that would enable both husbands and wives to participate in the labor force and in managing the household and child-rearing, such as through the provision of paid maternity and paternity leave. This means that the role of full-time homemaker should not solely be a choice for women—but equally as an option for men.

We must advocate for changes that support equal and flexible roles within the household, rather than reforms that reinforce gender-segregated family structures, which only perpetuate discrimination in the labor market. This would save men and women from adverse mental health outcomes and could help prevent families from facing severe economic hardship. These changes would strengthen society’s resilience and help break the recurring cycle of retreating into the comfort of traditional domestic ideals that perpetuate inequality.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2026)

#history #politics #women #gender #feminism #labor

You might be interested to read: Political Resistance and Propaganda: From Dadaism to Slopaganda (Part 1)

Image: Pinterest

Sources

Boylan, A. M. (1989) Containment on the Home Front: American Families During the Cold War [Review of Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, by E. T. May]. Reviews in American History, 17(2), 301–305. https://doi.org/10.2307/2702934.

Brechenmacher, Saskia (2025) 'The New Global Struggle Over Gender, Rights, and Family Values.' Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Paper. https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/06/the-new-global-struggle-over-gender-rights-and-family-values [Accessed 29 June 2026].

Chance, Maia (2026) What Tradwife “Influencers” of Centuries Past Share with Their Social Media Contemporaries. Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/what-tradwife-influencers-of-centuries-past-share-with-their-social-media-contemporaries [Accessed 29 June 2026].

Kibwana, Thomas Joel (2024) 'The Death of Liberalism and the Rise of Conservatism: A Global Shift and Its Implications for the Global South' The Chanzo. https://thechanzo.com/2024/11/10/the-death-of-liberalism-and-the-rise-of-conservatism-a-global-shift-and-its-implications-for-the-global-south [Accessed 29 June 2026].

King's College London (2025) The Tradwife Phenomenon Isn't a Return to Tradition, It's a Plea for Balance. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/the-tradwife-phenomenon-isnt-a-return-to-tradition-its-a-plea-for-balance [20 June 2026].

Sonno, Tommaso, Helios Herrera, Massimo Morelli, and Luigi Guiso (2022) Financial Crises as Drivers of Populism: A New Channel (2022) CEPR. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/financial-crises-drivers-populism-new-channel [Accessed 29 June 2026].

Sykes, Sophia and Veronica Hopner (2023) Tradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology. Global Network on Extremism and Technology. https://gnet-research.org/2023/07/07/tradwives-the-housewives-commodifying-right-wing-ideology [Accessed 29 June 2026].

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

In November 2025, Sotheby’s sold the most expensive modern artwork ever at auction—for $236.4 million. The painting is not only a Viennese Secession-Art Nouveau masterpiece that prompted collectors to bid generously, but it also has a fascinating history behind it—what it stood for and how it was part of a campaign to control cultural meaning.

When modernist style was labeled degenerate art

Gustav Klimt’s painting of 20-year-old Elisabeth Lederer, daughter of Vienna’s Jewish cultural elite and patron, was completed in 1916, just two years before the death of the artist. After the 1938 annexation of Austria, it was seized by the Nazis. Remarkably, it escaped destruction, and then found its way back to the family, and entered Leonard Lauder’s collection in the 1980s. What makes the story fascinating is that Elisabeth herself, then in her forties, was saved from prosecution because of the portrait. Klimt had become an internationally acclaimed artist by that time, Elisabeth’s arrest would have brought attention to Nazi persecutions. According to contemporary accounts, Elisabeth even claimed that Klimt, who was not Jewish, was her father.

The Nazi regime of the Third Reich systematically confiscated art that did not conform to its ideology. Styles deemed “un-German”, including modernism, such as expressed in the Art Nouveau movement (or Jugendstil, as it was known in Germany), were frequently targeted. They were denounced as “degenerate art” because of their modernist style and cosmopolitan nuance—blending influences from Asia and other parts of the globe—and moreover, because of the artists’ tie with wealthy Jewish patrons.

Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt. (wikimedia.org)

Art Nouveau emerged as a revolt against historicism

Art Nouveau (roughly 1890–1910) is commonly described as a form of decorative modernism, notable for its long, sinuous lines, organic motifs, and Japonisme and other Asian influences. This is demonstrated in the portrait of Elisabeth, where a Japanese-inspired patterning decorates the background. Art Nouveau, often associated with Brussels, emerged as a revolt against the historicism of 19th century art.

With a craft‑centered ethos that sought to unify fine and applied arts, Art Nouveau—influenced by the earlier Arts and Crafts movement in Britain—regarded factory production as producing low-quality goods that degraded both objects and workers. Art Nouveau’s emphasis on artisanal skill was a response to industrial modernity. While the movement did not reject technology, it objected to the lack of artistry in mass production and sought to elevate decorative handwork and craft as a means of social and aesthetic reform.

Art Nouveau was a movement with a social and political agenda

Art Nouveau was avant-garde, the style of the new generation and emergent bourgeoisie eager to distinguish themselves from the old nobility and conservative society. While largely an urban and often elitist movement, it sought to improve everyday life—promoting well-being, a renewed connection to nature, and greater beauty and functionality in the domestic environment—not just for the wealthy but also the working class.

Interestingly, Art Nouveau developed its distinct regional traits across Europe. For example, dominant colors signal local identity: Vienna used black and white; Brussels identified with orange and green; Spain favored bright, saturated colors; and Italy chose soft pastels and earthy tones. In some regions, the style carried a political statement, such as in Finland, Art Nouveau motifs became associated with cultural and political emancipation from Russia. In the Czech lands and Poland, folk motifs and historic references with modern forms were blended to assert national culture under imperial rule. Similarly, in Catalonia, Art Nouveau was an expression of the people’s struggle for independence.

A somewhat scandalized advertisement for the Job cigarette company (1896) by Czech painter and graphic artist Alphonse Mucha who became the defining figure of Art Nouveau. (theartstory.org)

Thus, Art Nouveau functioned as a coherent movement with a social and political agenda: achieving societal progress and sovereignty.

Inevitably, Art Nouveau lost its popularity after World War I following the collapse of traditional patronage and a postwar recovery that needed mass production, consumerism, and affordable design. Despite this fact, when the Nazi regime came into power decades later, it still confiscated Art Nouveau and other modernist works for their perceived internationalism, moral inferiority, and past associations with Jewish patrons.

Art Deco became a symbol of multiculturalism, cosmopolitan and urban lifestyle

As the Art Nouveau movement waned in the 1910s, what would become Art Deco in the 1920s began to emerge. This new art movement, closely associated with Paris, echoed the shift in design philosophy that was in line with the postwar years of rebuilding. With its simple design for easy production and reproducibility, it reflected the rapid industrialization and vast technological advancements taking place. Its clean lines, bold colors, and streamlined geometric forms symbolized modernity, progress, structure, and order, but its decorative richness separated it from modernism. Patterns of zigzags, square spirals, and aerodynamic curves reflected international grandeur and glamour. Art Deco too drew inspiration from various cultures, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas, as well as from different historical periods—symbolizing postwar multiculturalism, and an urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle.

The Côte d’Azur Pullman Express poster (1929) was designed by French artist Fix‑Masseau who worked in the Art Deco idiom that dominated railway and travel posters of the late 1920s and 1930s. (peoplesgdarchive.org)

While Art Nouveau was reformist and artisanal oriented, Art Deco had revolutionized design for a modern machine‑age society.

Art Deco, like Art Nouveau, was elitist at its height

Art Deco shaped the designs of public goods, such as transportation and social housing, but like Art Nouveau, it remained elitist at its height. With its consumerist ethos, the style represented the interests of the urban middle class with spending power. In this way, Art Deco functioned as an innovative and progressive force in the development of modern industrial capitalism, where mass products with short lifespan were created to stimulate demand.

Post–World War I witnessed the rise of a consumer-oriented middle class which benefited from interwar economic expansion, gradually replacing the dominance of the old aristocratic and bourgeois elites. At the same time, the middle class distinguished itself from working‑class and socialist aesthetics, defining its identity through upwardly mobile urbanity, a lifestyle of consumerism and modernity, and the professional status of white‑collar employment. Among this emerging class was the emancipated “New Woman” of the Weimar era which ended in 1933.

Art Deco inspired designs were used to signify progress

The Nazi campaign sought to systematically control cultural meaning. From 1933 onward, all art was regulated by the Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda. Any work not aligned to Nazi ideology of Aryan purity and nationalism was targeted. Both Art Nouveau and Art Deco, with their hybrid concepts and modernist styles, were condemned as corrupt by a regime that upheld the supposed superiority of Greek and Roman classical art.

Poster created by commercial illustrator and poster artist Ludwig Hohlwein for Deutsche Lufthansa in 1936, promoting the Berlin Summer Olympics and reflecting nationalistic pride. (pinterest.com)

Nevertheless, when the regime could benefit from a style, it adapted it for political purposes. This is the case with Art Deco, the prevailing design trend during Nazis’ rise to power. In posters and other propaganda media, the regime used Art Deco-inspired elements—streamlined geometry and bold palette—to signify progress, structure, order, discipline, and heroism, in order to persuade and mobilize the population, especially the youth.

The regime mastered the art of controlling cultural meaning

The Nazi regime implemented selective suppression in its cultural policies. Rather than fully banning everything that conflicted with its ideology, the regime instead systematically censored, repressed, or reshaped representations. For example, in the case of the gender ideology that the “New Woman” symbolized, the regime restricted or banned publications that promoted it. Lesbian periodicals such as Die Freundin and Frauenliebe/Garçonne were banned, while liberal magazines such as Die Dame and Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung were adapted or coopted to align with Nazi objectives. At the same time, the regime consistently propagated an alternative imagery of womanhood that emphasized motherhood and patriotism, which would eventually dismantle the “New Woman”.

Cover of the German fashion and lifestyle magazine Die Dame, depicting the style of the New Woman, published in March 1929. (wikimedia.org)

Thus, the story behind Gustav Klimt’s painting of Elisabeth Lederer demonstrates how art—just as other media in its various forms—can be used as a tool to control society, uphold ideology, and legitimize power, whether completely suppressed by being banned, or coopted, adapted, and reshaped to serve those in power. Art Nouveau was one of the modernist art forms frequently targeted for banning, while elements of Art Deco were often adapted and reshaped to conform to the Nazi regime’s cultural and political rhetoric. This illustrates one of the many ways in which a regime could master the art of controlling cultural meaning: art, far beyond aesthetics, becomes a political instrument.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2025)

#history #art #fascism #Germany #WorldWar1

You might be interested to read: The Salute of Tyranny From Global Power to Existential Anxieties: How Colonialism and Migration Shape the UK

Top image: Euronews.com

Sources

Greenhalgh, Paul (2000) ‘Art Nouveau: Politics and Style.’ History Today Vol. 50 Issue 4 April. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/art-nouveau-politics-and-style [22 November 2025].

Horth, Elisabeth (2009) The Social Agenda of Art Nouveau. Collectors Weekly. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/guest-column-the-social-agenda-of-art-nouveau [22 November 2025].

Mallya, Sanjana (n.d.) Art Deco and Its Global Influences. Rethinking the Future. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-community/a11195-art-deco-and-its-global-influences [22 November 2025].

Middlemiss, Matteo (2018) Why Was Art Nouveau the Art Revolt People Were looking for? The Flame Tree Blog. https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/why-was-art-nouveau-the-art-revolt-people-were-looking-for [21 November 2025].

Myrvang, Christine (2015) Art Deco: The Era That Lingers in Spirit. BI Norwegian Business School. https://www.bi.no/en/research/business-review/articles/2015/09/art-deco-the-era-that-lingers-in-spirit-/ [22 November 2025].

Pound, Cath (2018) What Art Nouveau Can Teach Us about National Identity. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180525-what-art-nouveau-can-teach-us-about-national-identity [22 November 2025].

Smith, Elizabeth Anne (2025) Beauty in the Face of Horror: Fashion, Femininity, and Identity During the Holocaust. Thesis. Washington State University. Online PDF document [29 November 2025].

Wikipedia (2025) Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Illustrirte_Zeitung [29 November 2025].

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POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

So You Want to See the President!, that's the title of the four-panel suite of paintings that, for decades, hung in the White House. Painted in 1943 by celebrated American artist Norman Rockwell, the suite portrays the waiting area outside the Oval Office, where citizens from various professions and officials gathered in hopes to meet the President. The paintings captured the democratic spirit of the era. At the height of World War II, it reflected a unifying vision of American society.

Amid the anxieties of wartime and economic uncertainty, Rockwell crafted images that evoked the nostalgia of the American Golden Age, depicting the comforts of family life and a secure home. Mainstream media often promoted this image of prosperity—which Rockwell was able to translate so well onto his canvas—to soften the realities of economic hardship and racial tension. Conservative outlets like The Saturday Evening Post used the psychology of nostalgia to soothe public unease rooted in economic vulnerability and to foster a sense of cohesion amid a racialized society. Norman Rockwell would later become a cultural icon, best known for his illustrations in The Saturday Evening Post, from the interwar years to the early decades of the Cold War.

The post-First World War period was marked by economic expansion and rapid growth, followed by a flourishing cultural environment and shifting social norms, epitomized by the emergence of the flapper counterculture. It was also a time of political progress as women finally secured the right to vote. Yet the Roaring Twenties was also a decade of economic disparity—low wages for the urban working class and persistent hardship for rural Americans—leaving many vulnerable. Not surprisingly, it was a period of continued racial tensions, marked by the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and the passage of the restrictive Immigration Act of 1924.

Interestingly, Rockwell’s celebrated depictions of the idealized male breadwinner nuclear family—spanning over four decades—continue to resonate with segments of the American public today.

Nevertheless, under the strict editorial direction of The Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell’s images not only masked the social tensions but also obscured the shifting norms reshaping American society. Readers were deflected from reality by scenes that told the story of a stable and harmonious American society centered on the “typical” male breadwinner and female homemaker nuclear family. Absent in these images were the independent flappers and hardly visible were the working-class, particularly women, both white and of color.

Twenty-five years later, the welfare policies and economic boom of post-World War II made the idealized male breadwinner family attainable, although very briefly, for middle-class and upper-class households. Yet this image of mainly white, suburban families, continued to be perpetuated by mainstream media for decades. It was an image that also aligned with the US government’s Cold War narrative, which promoted the nuclear family as a symbol of capitalist superiority in contrast to the collectivist ideals of communism.

Following the civil rights movement that shifted perceptions about society, new laws and policies were enacted to reduce racial and gender inequality. These reforms transformed social norms and values around family and sexuality, and shaped institutions. However, not all segments of society embraced these changes. Rockwell himself grew weary of the editorial constraints imposed by The Saturday Evening Post and, in 1963, left to work for Look magazine. There, he crafted some of his most controversial works that confronted the inequalities and tensions shaping America.

Like feminism, the far-right views women’s role in care work as undervalued by society; however, far-right supporters generally attribute this to the cultural hegemony of neoliberalism and liberal feminism.

Interestingly, Rockwell’s celebrated depictions of the idealized male breadwinner nuclear family—spanning over four decades—continue to resonate with segments of the American public today. On various digital platforms, some women from diverse ethnic backgrounds who support far-right ideologies have expressed dissatisfaction with contemporary society, describing a sense of peace and empowerment upon embracing traditional gender roles. This discontent often cites feminism for promoting a perception that privileges professional women over traditional homemakers—diminishing the cultural value of housewives and of men as primary providers and protectors.

Like feminism, the far-right views women’s role in care work as undervalued by society; however, far-right supporters generally attribute this to the cultural hegemony of neoliberalism and liberal feminism. This hegemony, in their view, has stigmatized traditional values and gender roles, where masculinity is more often loathed than encouraged and men are no longer seen as women’s protector, both in the social and economic sense. Such cultural dominance, they argue, are among the factors contributing to the decline of what they consider “true American values.”

Furthermore, the hegemony that promotes multiculturalism and diversity is perceived by far-right supporters as contributing to unresolved societal issues, such as job insecurity, limited access to public goods, and increase in crime rates, including violence against women. The increase in immigration is often cited as a cause of these problems even when such claims are not reflected in data and statistics.

The far-right movement, therefore, seeks to restore traditional “native” values as a way of deconstructing what they perceive as a broken society. However, the dissatisfaction is often attributed to shifting cultural norms, while in fact, it stems from systemic issues. The lack of accessible and trustworthy childcare, the absence of family-friendly labor policies, and the persistence of traditional gender roles that impose a double burden on women all contribute to the difficulties faced by many—particularly mothers.

Scholars interpret this as a backlash against the failure of neoliberal governance to deliver broad-based economic security and social cohesion.

Moreover, the movement asserts that saving America from perceived cultural decadence requires strengthening a monocultural national identity and reasserting national control over the economy, as economic sovereignty is framed as a moral imperative to restore traditional family values and cultural order. This vision reflects its supporters’ economic anxieties and fears of cultural displacement. Scholars interpret this as a backlash against the failure of neoliberal governance to deliver broad-based economic security and social cohesion.

Scholars have observed that neoliberal policies in the United States have deepened inequality: wages have stagnated for much of the working class, labor protections and social safety nets have eroded, and corporate profits have soared—concentrating wealth at the top. Privatization and deregulation have rendered public goods such as higher education, healthcare, and housing increasingly unaffordable. Critics of neoliberalism argue that policies prioritizing market efficiency over social equity have fueled job insecurity, housing shortages, rising rents, and racialized vulnerability. These systemic failures have contributed to cultural fragmentation, institutional distrust, and adverse political polarization.

So You Want to See the President!—which was commissioned in 1943 by Stephen T. Early, Roosevelt’s press secretary—depicted various groups in American society, conveying a unifying vision of democracy. Yet it reflects a white, middle-class lens on civic participation, mirroring the exclusionary politics and cultural norms of its time, in which structural diversity and inequality were obscured. The suite was removed from the White House in 2022 following a family ownership dispute and is scheduled for auction. While the paintings hold significant historical value, the suite’s removal is timely given that the country seriously needs to bridge political polarization. To move forward, reflection is urgently needed to envision a post-neoliberal governance that centers equity, care economies, labor protections, and democratic accountability, while dismantling structures that perpetuate marginalization and safeguard concentrated wealth.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2025)

#history #art #WorldWar1 #WorldWar2 #US #Politics #feminism

You might be interested to read: From Global Power to Existential Anxieties: How Colonialism and Migration Shape the UK

Image: Artnet News

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Cohen, Alina (2025) ‘Norman Rockwell Paintings That Once Hung in the White House Bound for Auction.’ Artnet News. https://news.artnet.com/market/norman-rockwell-president-white-house-paintings-auction-2704973 [4 November 2025].

Joppke, Christian (2024) ‘Neoliberal Nationalism and Immigration Policy.’ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2315349 [8 November 2025].

Leidig, Eviane (2021) “We Are Worth Fighting for”: Women in Far-Right Extremism. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – ICCT. https://icct.nl/publication/we-are-worth-fighting-women-far-right-extremism [19 October 2025].

Shams, Shahrzad, Deepak Bhargava, and Harry W. Hanbury (2024) ‘The Cultural Contradictions of Neoliberalism: The Longing for an Alternative Order and the Future of Multiracial Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism.’ The Roosevelt Institute. https://rooseveltinstitute.org [8 November 2025].

Stiglitz, Joseph (2024) ‘How Neoliberalism Failed, and What a Better Society Could Look Like.’ Working Paper. Roosevelt Institute. https://rooseveltinstitute.org [8 November 2025].

Williams, Katherine (2024) Women's Engagement with the Far Right: A Quest for a More Holistic Understanding. Compass Hub. https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec3.12495 [19 October 2025].

Zamora, Daniel and Niklas Olsen (2019) How Decades of Neoliberalism Led to the Era of Right-Wing Populism. Jacobin.com. https://jacobin.com/2019/09/in-the-ruins-of-neoliberalism-wendy-brown [8 November 2025].

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

Love and geopolitics often intertwine in heartbreaking and unforgettable narratives, whether legend, fiction, or real-life accounts. These stories are typically entangled in ethnic and religious conflict, ideological divide, and forbidden romance framed by identity politics—elements that render resolution unforeseeable.

Love Is Forbidden

Some true love stories are carved into time through poetry and become not only the legacy of a people but also a defining part of their history. One such story is the love affair between the late renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (13 March, 1941—9 August, 2008) and the Jewish-Israeli young woman he fell deeply in love with in the early 1960s. A woman whom he refers to as “Rita” in his poems—a name that echoes across two decades of his artistic career, shaped by imprisonment, political estrangement, and exile.

In his 1969 poem Rita… Love me, Darwish reflects on the impossibility of their love:

Love is forbidden… Here the police and fate are antiquated Shattered are the idols that you revealed your love

Another passage from the same poem expresses the pain of loss:

Sleep on my dream. Your taste is acrid Your eyes are lost in my silence And your body is full of summer and beautiful death. At the end of the world I embrace you When you withdraw full of the impossible.

Their forbidden love could not survive the political tension it was engulfed in, especially after “Rita”, whose real name is Tamar Ben-Ami, joined the Israeli army—a decision which ended their romance. Nevertheless, intimate love letters Darwish wrote to her in Hebrew—kept secret for decades and later revealed in the documentary, Write Down, I am an Arab (2014)—stands as a testament to how love, ruptured by political and ideological divide, is silently endured.

This silenced love is reflected in the famed 1966 poem, Rita and the Rifle, where Darwish writes:

Oh, the silence of dusk In the morning my moon migrated to a far place Towards those honey-colored eyes And the city swept away all the singers And Rita. Between Rita and my eyes— A rifle.

The death of the romance, plagued by political violence and civil surveillance, impacted Darwish’s art. The love he held for “Rita” remains alive through his poetry, echoing across generations.

Betrayal and Forgiveness

Betrayal potentially arises in a love affair entangled in geopolitics and ideology. One such case is the well-known affair between German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt (October 14, 1906–December 4, 1975) and her professor, the influential yet controversial German thinker Martin Heidegger (September 26, 1889– May 26, 1976). Arendt first met Heidegger in late 1924 as an 18-year-old student at the University of Marburg. Their encounter subsequently sparked a relationship that would last several years—kept discreet due to Heidegger’s marriage. Yet what ultimately shadowed their bond was Heidegger’s later affiliation with the Nazi party, a betrayal that would affect both their personal connection and Arendt’s ethical reflections for decades.

It was only after their love letters were discovered in the 1980s and published that the relationship between Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger became publicly known, igniting intense scholarly debate. The controversy centered on Heidegger’s affiliation with the Nazi Party, which he joined in 1933—just as Arendt, a Jew, was fleeing Germany following a brief detainment by the Gestapo.

In his first letter to Arendt, written in February 1925, Heidegger confesses:

“I will never be able to call you mine, but from now on you will belong in my life, and it shall grow with you.”

A year later, Arendt had broken off the relationship with Heidegger following her move to the University of Heidelberg. However, they continued to correspond into the early 1930s. In April of 1928, a letter from Arendt reflects the depth of their enduring love:

“I love you as I did on the first day—you know that, and I have always known it, even before this reunion. The path you showed me is longer and more difficult than I thought.”

In 1929, on her wedding day, Arendt writes:

“Do not forget me, and do not forget how much and how deeply I know that our love has become the blessing of my life. This knowledge cannot be shaken, not even today ...”

She closes the letter affectionately:

“I kiss your brow and your eyes, Your Hannah”

After a long silence—likely prompted by Heidegger’s Nazi affiliation—Arendt, now in her second marriage, chose to reconcile with him in 1950, not as a romantic partner, but as an intellectual peer. This decision was triggered by their first reunion in Freiburg that same year. The posthumous publication of their postwar letters later revealed the depth and complexity of this renewed connection, leading many scholars to reexamine how Heidegger’s influence and their relationship shaped Arendt’s thought, as Adrent is considered one of the most influential political theorists of the twentieth century.

In The Human Condition (1958), Arendt introduces the concept of natality—the capacity for new beginnings. For her, human freedom is rooted in the ability to initiate anew, even in the wake of betrayal and historical trauma. Natality enables reconciliation not by erasing the past, but by narrating and accepting it, and by exercising judgment toward both past and future.

While reconciliation has its limits—especially in cases of crimes where justice demands accountability—Arendt viewed both reconciliation and nonreconciliation as acts of political judgment. Both are judgments of the past and future and thought and action. These judgments, which require one to think from the standpoint of everyone else and reflect beyond ideological divisions, open the possibility for forgiveness and reconciliation. This framework may illuminate Arendt’s postwar reconciliation with Heidegger, which unfolded through a series of affectionate and intellectually vibrant correspondences between the two philosophers.

Furthermore, Arendt envisioned a shared world of plurality, where difference and equality coexist—not a nation-state founded on ethnic exclusivity. This vision was likely shaped by her lived experience: years spent in exile as a Jew, and her conflicted yet compassionate relationship with Heidegger.

Historical Trauma: Beginning Anew

Even in the face of political oppression and ideological division, love can flourish—persisting between those on opposing sides. Darwish and Tamar’s relationship demonstrates that, in such circumstances, loving “the Other” becomes a political act. His poems have become part of Palestine’s collective memory, shaping how a people remember their past and imagine their future—how they perceive and respond to historical trauma.

In Arendt’s perspective—shaped by her lived experience—historical trauma should not justify vengeance, but rather open a path toward beginning anew: to acknowledge irreversible loss and envision the future. This suggests that even in the face of devastation, forgiveness and reconciliation are key to peace-building—actions that enable coexistence grounded in plurality, dignity, and equality within and across nations. On the ground, this entails a journey of judgment that ensures the meaningful representation of survivors and marginalized groups—including women, though Arendt does not explicitly address gender—in the processes of truth-telling, testimony, inclusive dialogue, and the honoring of collective memory. Could Arendt’s vision help address today’s atrocities?

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2025)

#history #literature #ideology #politics #Palestine #Germany #WorldWar2 #films #fascism

You might be interested to read: The Salute of Tyranny

Images: Darwish via arablit.org; Arendt by Fred Stein via deutschland.de

Sources:

Berkowitz, Roger (2017) ‘1. Reconciling Oneself to the Impossibility of Reconciliation: Judgment and Worldliness in Hannah Arendt’s Politics.’ In Roger Berkowitz and I. Storey (eds.) Artifacts of Thinking: Reading Hannah Arendt's Denktagebuch. New York, USA: Fordham University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780823272204-002.

Çubukçu, Ayça (2025) ‘Arendt, Gaza and Personal Responsibility Under Genocide’, Critical Legal Thinking. https://criticallegalthinking.com/2025/02/03/arendt-gaza-and-personal-responsibility-under-genocide [11 August 2025].

McMahan, Luke (2024) ‘Rita… Love Me: A Poem by Mahmoud Darwish’, Arab America. https://www.arabamerica.com/rita-love-me-a-poem-by-mahmoud-darwish [8 August 2025].

Murray, Eóin (2008) ‘Obligations of Love, Obligations of Politics’, Poetry Ireland. https://www.poetryireland.ie/writers/articles/obligations-of-love-obligations-of-politics [10 August 2025].

Poem Hunter (2013) Rita and the Rifle—Poem by Mahmoud Darwish https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rita-and-the-rifle/ [8 August 2025].

Popova, Maria (2016) ‘The Remarkable Love Letters of Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger’, The Marginalian. https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/04/25/hannah-arendt-martin-heidegger-love-letters [8 August 2025].

Puspapertiwi, Erwina Rachmi and Sari Hardiyanto (2023) ‘Kisah Mahmoud Darwish, Penyair Palestina yang Jatuh Cinta pada Perempuan Yahudi.’ Kompas.com. https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/12/08/133000065/kisah-mahmoud-darwish-penyair-palestina-yang-jatuh-cinta-pada-perempuan?page=all#page2 [8 August 2025].

Wasserstein, David J. (2012) ‘Prince of Poets’, The American Scholar. https://theamericanscholar.org/prince-of-poets [10 August 2025].

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

The theme of International Women’s Day (IWD) for March 8th, 2025 is “Accelerate Action for Gender Equality”. How can this be achieved? The IWD website highlights several key areas for action to accelerate gender equality. One important area is economic empowerment for women, and another is legal and policy reform. These areas are interconnected through labor rights, reproductive rights, and unpaid care work, among other issues. Looking back over a century ago, it was these same issues that prompted the need for an international day dedicated to women.

Key milestones in the history of the establishment of International Women’s Day (IWD) include the alleged all-women garment workers' strike in New York City on March 8th, 1857, which addressed demands for shorter working hours, better working conditions, and equal pay. Another significant event occurred on March 8th, 1908, when women workers in the needle trades marched through New York City. Although the historical validity of these two New York events in connection to IWD remains questionable, they continue to be cited in some narratives.

What can be validated is that in 1909, the Socialist Party of America organized the first National Women’s Day on February 28th. A year later, the idea of an International Women’s Day was proposed by Clara Zetkin at the Second International Socialist Women's Congress. Subsequently, the first IWD was observed on March 19th, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. In 1921, Zetkin proposed that March 8th be the official date of IWD to commemorate the Petrograd women workers' strike on that day in 1917, an event marking the beginning of the Russian Revolution.

Zetkin, a renowned German socialist of the 20th century—often referred to as the mother of International Women’s Day—was not only a staunch advocate for women’s labor rights, but also recognized that women’s oppression was deeply connected to motherhood and unpaid domestic labor. Zetkin argued that the sexual division of labor, including women’s reproductive roles and domestic responsibilities, is a key source of inequality in the home, which, in turn, limited women’s full labor participation and hindered their full emancipation.

Zetkin advocated for child-rearing practices that are free from gender roles, emphasizing the importance of teaching domestic responsibilities to both boys and girls. She believed that raising and educating children should be the shared responsibility of both parents, not solely the mother's role. To enable both parents to participate fully in public life, Zetkin called for state intervention in domestic life, such as the provision of state-supported daycare.

Throughout history, IWD celebrations have spotlighted critical issues, including labor protections (such as equal pay for equal work, labor protection laws, and minimum wage standards); women’s political rights (the right to vote); equal access to education; and women's reproductive rights and protections for mothers and children (e.g., maternity leave and healthcare). Today, according to IWD 2025, accelerating gender equality includes promoting women’s economic empowerment through paid maternity and paternity leave, improved access to financial services for women, and the recognition, redistribution, and reduction of women’s unpaid care work. This includes advocating for flexible work policies and childcare support.

So here we are today with many of the same issues as a century ago.

In terms of policy reforms, there have been successes; however, the outcomes remain insufficient.

For example, Sweden is a pioneer in parental leave, introducing state-mandatory paternity leave as early as 1974. Decades of government initiatives in Sweden have narrowed gender inequality in the workplace, increased gender equality in childcare at home, and established Sweden as one of the world’s most egalitarian countries. Nevertheless, statistics reveal that women still perform a larger proportion of unpaid care work. In Sweden, women spend about 3.7 hours on unpaid care work (including housework), while men spend around 2.9 hours (OECD Stats, 2023).

Furthermore, while these policy reforms have advanced gender equality, they have not adequately addressed protection against gender-based violence.

Iceland, for example, has closed more than 90% of its gender gap through significant reforms in health, education, political empowerment, economic participation, and other sectors, earning its reputation as one of the safest countries in the world. Ironically, women are not safe inside the home. Data from 2023 reveals a concerning rise in domestic violence in Iceland over recent years (Statista, 2024). In fact, the country’s rate of gender-based violence surpasses the European Union (EU) average.

The IWD 2025 website highlights combating gender-based violence as a step toward accelerating gender equality. Ironically, the reality remains that even important advancements in gender equality have often fallen short of ensuring a safe environment for women.

While celebrating achievements and milestones is undoubtedly important, we also need to dedicate more time to reflecting on what is still not working. It’s discouraging that, over a century since the inception of International Women’s Day, we are still struggling with many of the same issues. Women have come a long way, but at times, we have been running in place. Unfortunately, this condition has been exacerbated in recent years by political changes that have created more challenges for gender equality.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2025)

Updated on March 10th, 2025 to include explanation of key milestones

You might be interested to read: Remembering Rosa on May Day

Visit my other blog: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

#women #history #socialism #Germany #Russia #US

Image: Statute of Clara Zetkin in Leipzig (via Pinterest)

Sources:

Amnesty International (2009) Women make history. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2009/02/mujeres-hacen-historia-20090227/ [7 March 2025].

BBC News (2024) Is Iceland the best place in the world to be a woman? https://youtu.be/h_y4xMOKWUM?si=Ehja0Pb25tikVKRs [21 December 2024].

Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.) Why Is Women’s History Month Celebrated in March? https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-womens-history-month-celebrated-in-march [8 March 2025].

International Women's Day (2025) What are some key ways to ACCELERATE ACTION for gender equality? https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Missions/20724/key-ways-to-ACCELERATE-ACTION [7 March 2025].

Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (n.d.) The History Behind March 8. JKU. https://www.jku.at/en/department-for-equality-equitable-opportunities-and-diversity/gender-diversity-management-unit/the-advancement-of-women-at-the-jku/march-8-international-womens-day/a-history-of-the-advancement-of-women/ [8 March 2025].

OECD Stats (2023) Time spent in paid and unpaid work, by sex. stats.oecd.org [18 December 2023].

Statista (2024) Number of domestic conflicts and violence in Iceland from 2015 to 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1463279/number-of-domestic-violence-cases-in-iceland/ [22 December 2024].

The Hindu (2025) ‘International Women’s Day: when women marched for Bread and Roses.’ https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/international-womens-day-2025-history-of-womens-day-when-women-marched-for-bread-and-roses/article69302167.ece [8 March 2025].

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

The coronation of King Charles III on May 6th, 2023, marking a new era in the UK, coincides with another important event over a century ago. On May 6th, 1910, King Edward VII died, technically ending the Edwardian era and marking a start of a new one. In King Edward VII’s coronation in 1901, Queen Alexandra’s crown was adorned with the Koh-i-noor diamond—today, a controversial gem considered by some as symbolizing colonialism and imperialism, and which Queen Consort Camilla avoided to wear in her coronation. Interestingly, like today, the sentiments of anti-imperialism, albeit in no reference to the gem, had also echoed throughout the Edwardian era.

Although King Edward VII died in 1910, historians use the term Edwardian era to include the years onto the beginning of the First World War. Because the era was just before the Great War, some romanticize it as a golden age of a laid-back life with nostalgic summer garden parties. This created a misconceived image of a less turbulent era, while in fact it was a time of the upsurge of labor rights and suffrage.

Because the era was just before the Great War, some romanticize it as a golden age of a laid-back life with nostalgic summer garden parties.

Angels and Labors

The Industrial Revolution and urbanization during the Victorian era brought the prosperous middle class into the Edwardian era. However, class divisions (although less stringent) and wage gaps from the previous era were much intact in the new era, as was the gender ideology. It was considered inappropriate for upper- and middle-class women to work. However, advances in technologies, such as in transportation and communications, had opened more doors to Edwardian women who had to work for a living.

Thus, working class and lower middle-class women continued to play an important economic role for the country. According to the statistics of Edwardian times, one of every ten women were in paid employment. Women worked as teachers, clerks, and physicians’ assistants. With advances in photography, some well-to-do women as well worked as models. However, most working women were from poor households, who toiled in gender-segregated and low-paying jobs, and struggled in bad labor conditions, barely surviving; many also worked as domestic workers.

Women march with their symbol of freedom, the bicycle (bustle.com)

Like the Victorian era, the ideal middle-class woman was the “angel in the house” with servants. The typical middle-class household would have at least one live-in domestic worker, typically a woman. Interestingly, due to the middle-class lifestyle and the rise in consumerism, middle-class families even during this period were already reducing the number of children they’d like to have. Abortion (which was illegal) was the birth control method widely used.

Nevertheless, some changes late in the Victorian period provided impetus for Edwardian women’s advancement. One example is how Victorian women were able to defy society’s mores as well as gravity by learning to ride the bicycle. This made mobility less of an issue for most Edwardian women, especially as bicycles had become affordable to the masses. The bike was revolutionary in the sense that it gave women the freedom of movement and changed restrictive fashion. The split skirt which flows open during riding allowed Edwardian women to pedal with ease. The vehicle became a symbol of women’s liberation.

Against the backdrop of British leisure, however, was rising suffrage and labor activism ...

Suffrage and Labor

Against the backdrop of British leisure, however, was rising suffrage and labor activism, which was the momentum of the Edwardian era. The suffragette movement grew stronger and louder, despite protesters being arrested and forced fed in jail if they went on hunger strikes. Socialist thoughts began to flourish and labor strikes peaked. Between 1900 and 1911, the percentage of the working-class population involved in strikes increased more than three times.

Suffragettes were also involved in labor activism. In 1903, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and others established the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). The suffragette movement raised women workers’ issues, spurred rallies, and push for unionizing. Although not always on the same page with the suffragettes, women workers also advocated for suffrage, such as members of the Federation of Women Workers.

Pankhurst being arrested (Mashable.com)

In fact, in this era, there were issues raised that working women still face today. The welfare of working mothers as well as nurseries and childcare for all working women were issues already being raised at this time, particularly by suffragette and socialist, Ada Nield Chew. However, not surprisingly, the campaign did not gain much traction.

Domestic labor issues also did not find wide support due to conflict of interest between poor and wealthier women. The Domestic Workers’ Union (DWU) was established in 1909 and it campaigned for a 10-hour workday and for household work to be treated like industrial labor.

The Paradox

Moreover, anti-imperialists sentiments echoed through the era similar to today. Breaking away from Victorian values, Edwardian literature grew critical of imperialism, colonialism, and the class system.

Actually, anti-imperialist sentiments in Britain had begun in the late 19th century, but the controversial Second Boer War (1899–1902) had generated an increasingly critical view from radical liberals and socialists. In addition, the exploitation, abuse, and death occurring in indentured labor of the Indian people shipped to British colonies also sparked criticism towards the Empire until the practice finally ended in 1917.

Workers’ strikes continued throughout the era as the working class became increasingly dissatisfied with labor conditions. Between 1911 and 1914, there were over 3000 workers’ strikes; hence the period is known as “the Great Labor Unrest”. It was during this period, in 1906, that the Independent Labour Party (founded in 1893) established the Labour Representation Committee, which was then named the Labour Party.

Ready for the garden party, girls? (Pinterest.com)

During the war, suffragists took a break to focus on their support of the country. Women worked in replacement of men to support the war effort and supposedly for this contribution, they were awarded the right to vote, albeit not universal suffrage, in 1918. However, the war had destroyed an era which many cherished.

Coined the Golden Age of British life, the Edwardian era was nonetheless a hotbed of turbulence as different groups struggled against inequalities. In short, the era was a paradox of social unrest and summer garden parties.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2023)

#Edwardian #suffrage #labormovement #Britain #history #gender #labor #feminism #women

Check out my other blog, Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl for topics on gender and history.

Top image: Portrait of socialites Violet Morene and Yvonne Fitzroy modelling for Bassano, circa 1910 (npg.org.uk).

Sources:

Edgerton, David (2020) 'Britain's Persistent Racism Cannot Simply Be Explained by Its Imperial History.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/24/britain-persistent-racism-imperial-history (Accessed 20 May 2023).

Gershon, Livia (2021) ‘Who Does the Drudge Work? Answers from Edwardian Britain.’ JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/who-does-the-drudge-work-answers-from-edwardian-britain (Accessed 20 May 2023).

Harvey, Ian (2017) ‘The Most Beautiful Women of the Edwardian Era.’ thevintagenews. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/06/06/the-most-beautiful-women-of-the-edwardian-era/ (Accessed 7 May 2023).

HistoryExtra (2023) Edwardian Women: Their Lives, Rights & Fashion. https://www.historyextra.com/period/edwardian/what-life-like-women-edwardian-britain/ (Accessed 20 May 2023).

Intriguing History (2015) Women's Roles in Edwardian Era of British History. https://intriguing-history.com/womens-roles-in-edwardian-era/ (Accessed 21 May 2023).

Manners, William (2015) ‘The Secret History of 19th Century Cyclists.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2015/jun/09/feminism-escape-widneing-gene-pools-secret-history-of-19th-century-cyclists (Accessed 7 May 2023).

Stephenson, Andrew (2013) ‘Introduction: Edwardian Art and Its Legacies.’ In Visual Culture in Britain Vol. 14, No. 1. Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14714787.2013.750826 (Accessed 18 May 2023).

Thorpe, J.R. (2017) ‘The Feminist History of Bicycles.’ Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/p/the-feminist-history-of-bicycles-57455 (Accessed 30 April 2023).

Victorian Era (2022) Features of Edwardian Era Literature. https://victorian-era.org/edwardian-era-literature.html (Accessed 20 May 2023).

Wikipedia (2023) Indian Indenture System. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_indenture_system (Accessed 20 May 2023).

Wikipedia (2023) Great Unrest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Unrest (Accessed 20 May 2023).

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

Early in the morning of the special day, the noise and bustle of families getting ready echo through the open windows of the building. Quickly, Antonietta pours the coffee already waiting on the stove, brings the filled cup to the table—between the uniforms she had just ironed—to add some sugar. Now with cup, saucer, and teaspoon in her left hand and uniforms draping on the arm, she walks to each bed to wake the kids one by one. While taking small sips of coffee from the spoon, she hands each child their uniform. Finally reaching the last bed—the sixth and biggest—she wakes her husband and hands him the coffee. The rounds are not over yet. Next to Papa, buried under the covers, is their youngest!

This is the special day, all of Rome are getting ready for the parade. Not Antonietta, however, even though she is a big supporter of Il Duce. Her wifely duties do not allow her the luxury to spend a whole day out of the house, unlike women who have domestic helpers. Antonietta will miss the historical moment Il Duce welcomes German fascist leader, Adolf Hitler, on his seven-day visit to Italy.

Hitler’s visit to Italy on May 3rd, 1938 was a significant moment in the history of fascism. Despite the fanfare, Mussolini or Il Duce, as he was called, did not agree to a military alliance with Germany. Nonetheless, after this visit, Mussolini began introducing laws which marginalized Italy’s Jewish people.

Having stayed home, on that special day Antonietta experienced a life changing moment. Whilst trying to catch her escaped bird, it was when she by chance met her neighbor, Gabriele, who lived across her apartment building. The bird had flown near Gabriele’s window while he was at his desk, contemplating suicide. After an exchange of visits on that day, she learned that Gabriele was a radio broadcaster who was fired and will be deported to Sardinia. His crime: being gay. Unlikely as it may seem, the two instantly connected. They both learned of each other’s life and their different views of the government, and as the story unfolds, the odd couple fell in love.

This is the storyline of the critically acclaimed Italian film A Special Day, directed by Ettore Scola and produced by Carlo Ponti. Released in May 1977, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, the film received many awards, including the César Award, Golden Globe Film, and Nastro d'Argento, in addition to two Academy Award nominations. Interestingly, Mussolini’s granddaughter, Alessandra Mussolini was cast in the film.

Through the events of one day, the film gives a daunting picture of life under fascism. The omnipresence of the ruler in daily life is interwoven into the narrative and through the background sound of the parade taking place.

The story revolves around Antonietta (Sophia Loren), a low-educated, lower middle-class housewife. She is the image of the ideal Italian woman under fascism—an admirer of Il Duce, a devoted housewife and mother; a devotion extended to the state. “I have six children”, Antonietta said as she introduced herself to Gabriele (Marcello Mastroianni). “By the seventh, they will give you a bonus.”

The government gave prizes and compensations to encourage women to bear many children with the aim of increasing the Italian population and army reserve. Single men, like Gabriele, in contrast, were taxed.

Antonietta’s husband (John Vernon) is the typical Italian fascist male of the time—the breadwinner and savior who treats his wife like an inferior being and has affairs with other women. Nevertheless, like the beloved Italian woman of the time, her family and the kitchen are the center of Antonietta’s life. From the kitchen table she would gaze out the window while pouring the remains from other cups into her cup—never really having her own cup (or life), except during Gabriele’s visit. Il Duce is present in family life through his picture that overlooks the kitchen. How the occupants are able to see each other through the windows is an extension of state surveillance.

“You forgot to take this,” said Gabriele, who suddenly appeared at Antonietta’s door, holding The Three Musketeers, the book which he had recommended earlier to Antonietta. He ended up coming inside and grinding coffee beans (and spilling some on the floor) for the cup of coffee Antonietta had offered. Then came a knock on the door. The caretaker (Françoise Berd) had come to warn Antonietta about Gabriele, who she knew was visiting Antonietta.

However, Antonietta was smitten by Gabriele, a liberal, antifascist, and gay radio broadcaster on the verge of suicide.

However, Antonietta was smitten by Gabriele, a liberal, antifascist, and gay radio broadcaster on the verge of suicide. How they made love, considering Gabriele’s sexual orientation, is open to interpretation—except for the conclusion that Antonietta had changed him. In fact, it was Antonietta who was changed by this encounter as she now sees fascism in a different light.

The film, however, did not fully capture the public life of Italian women under fascism. Although confined to domesticity, thousands to millions of women were enrolled in government-created women’s organizations.

In line with the state’s gender ideology, many women’s organizations focus on maternal health issues and care for newborns. However, these organizations were not merely a campaign to mobilize female supporters. They served an important purpose in reducing Italy’s high infant mortality rate, which was at 106.2 deaths for every 1,000 lives in 1938—the highest in Europe. Mussolini believed that a rapid increase in the Italian population could be achieved by banning contraception, illegalizing abortion, and establishing mass women’s organizations, where women worked to assist other women to improve hygiene, health, and nutrition.

From this view, fascist policies which excluded women did not completely isolate women from society.

From this view, fascist policies which excluded women did not completely isolate women from society. Women, in fact, had an important social role within the fascist framework, whilst any role was absent in the previous liberal state. Although these organizations controlled and limited women’s role as reproductive machines, in their own way, they empowered women. It was the first time any assistance of the kind, which improved women’s knowledge and skills about health and maternity, included women of all levels of the society. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of these organizations is debatable and despite a nationwide propaganda to promote the nobleness of motherhood, the population did not significantly increase and many women continued to work because of necessity.

All in all, A Special Day depicts how fascism penetrated into the private sphere, controlled and oppressed the individual, as reflected in the lives of Antonietta and Gabriele. She was treated as the chattel in the battle for population; he, the male degenerate.

In the evening of the special day, the authorities came for Gabriele. While gathering his things, he accidentally found a few coffee beans in the pocket of his suit. Slightly bewildered, he took a quick glance across the window. Minutes later, from her window, Antonietta watched as Gabriele leaves in the night escorted by two men. She was reading aloud the first few pages of The Three Musketeers—the political tale he left her with.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2023)

#films #cinema #Italy #fascism #history #gender #worldwar2

Read about modern political strongmen: Political Strongmen and the Crisis of Democracy

If you are interested in how population polices affect women, read: Only Women Breed: Population Policies and Gender

Images: Cult Film trailers: https://youtu.be/KloWrqcHAF0

Sources:

Cavendish, Richard (2008) ‘Hitler and Mussolini Meet in Rome.’ Historytoday https://www.historytoday.com/archive/hitler-and-mussolini-meet-rome (Accessed 22 January 2023).

Monti, Jennifer Linda (2011) The Contrasting Image of Italian Women under Fascism in the 1930’s. Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 714. https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1706&context=honors_capstone (Accessed 26 December 2022).

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

A painting can give you a captivating glimpse of the past and narrate the history of a people. This is exactly what the work of Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) presents to the world. Through his trademark paintings of middle-class Dutch women in an interior setting—with subtle details of tiles, decoration, furniture, musical instruments, dress, jewelry, and hair style—Vermeer provides a window to the prosperous life of the Dutch Golden Age.

The Dutch Golden Age spanned from 1588 to 1672, when the Dutch Empire was at its peak in science, the arts, the military, and trade, and was experiencing a cultural boom in the seventeenth century. Through the ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (WIC), the empire ruled the sea, gaining colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. With these conquests, back home, the Dutch middle-class flourished.

The lifestyle of the affluent Dutch middle-class as seen in Vermeer’s paintings was made possible through no other than the exploitation, marginalization, and enslavement of the indigenous people in the colonies. The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), dubbed “the pearl of the East”, was an important colony for the Dutch empire as it secured the empire’s power over the spice trade.

Jayakarta (now Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia), a strategic harbor city, was burned down and conquered under the command of VOC official, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, in 1619. Coen rebuild the city on its ruins to become VOC’s new administrative base, which was subsequently renamed Batavia, after the Dutch’s mystical ancestors. Following the establishment of Batavia, to secure VOC’s monopoly of the spice trade, Coen seized Banda Island—formerly the sole producer of nutmeg. The Banda Massacre is inseparable from Coen’s legacy, where under his command, 14,000 local inhabitants were killed and over 1,000 enslaved, mainly sent to Batavia.

“By the last decades of the Dutch Golden Age, slaves of ethnic diversity comprised half of the Batavia population.”

Slave labor was an important commodity in the Dutch colonial empire. The function of the VOC administrative city of Batavia relied heavily on slaves acquired from various parts of the Dutch East Indies. By the last decades of the Dutch Golden Age, slaves of ethnic diversity comprised half of the Batavia population. Slaves lived in atrocious conditions but were fragmented as an oppressed group, mainly because they identified themselves by their ethnicity and not their oppression.

To strengthen Dutch political and economic domination, social relations were regulated, including race and gender relations. The city of Batavia was not only developed to replicate Amsterdam, but most importantly, it was designed to support racial segregation. The European colonizers mainly lived in the center of the city, others from non-European countries, such as the Chinese, Arabs, and Indians, lived closer to the center.

The indigenous people, many who were slaves brought in from across the archipelago, were concentrated further to the margins of the city, with some exceptions, particularly for those who worked in the household. This led to the practice of concubinage—the bondage of indigenous women—by VOC officers. Under cohabitation, these women (later referred to as nyai) worked to provide domestic and sexual services in the home of the VOC men living in Batavia as well as other foreign men.

For women enslaved in domestic settings, the labor offered an opportunity for vertical mobility, as they were often provided with clothing, money, and jewelry. However, they faced the double stigma of race and gender. The slave women under concubinage and their children were looked down by the local people. Children from these relationships were also not legally recognized by their father and the colonial state.

Furthermore, Coen was disgusted by the practice of interracial sexual relationships. In fact, Coen had attempted to curb, albeit unsuccessfully, the practice of concubinage by prohibiting it.

Coen may have not been too successful in regulating the sex life of his officers, but he was certainly successful in expanding the Dutch Empire, making him a hero of the Dutch Golden Age, at least until recent reflection. Once a hero, now he is considered a villain by some; part of the legacy of a celebrated era now condemned by many.

The Dutch Golden Age was made possible through economic exploitation, slavery, political oppression, and racial and sexual subjugation. This fact is of course not visible in the Dutch paintings of the era, such as the work of Vermeer, which depicted the lifestyle of a privileged few who were able to thrive through the atrocities against the colonized. Thus, to accurately describe this reality, some Dutch historians now refer to the era as simply, “the seventeenth century.”

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2022)

#history #Netherlands #Indonesia #Batavia #colonialism

More about the Dutch East Indies: VERMEER’S ART AND THE LEGACY OF COLONIALISM THE MAKING OF THE WESTERN FAMILY IN THE DUTCH EAST INDIES

Sources:

Fraga, Kaleena (2022) The Story of Batavia, The Indonesian City Violently Colonized by the Dutch. All That's Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/batavia (Accessed 28 August 2022).

Ganbold, Nicole (2021) ‘Dutch Golden Age Explained.’ DailyArt Magazine. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/dutch-golden-age-explained/ (Accessed 23 August 2022).

Kehoe, Marsely L. (2015) ‘Dutch Batavia: Exposing the Hierarchy of the Dutch Colonial City.’ Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Arts. https://jhna.org/articles/dutch-batavia-exposing-hierarchy-dutch-colonial-city/ (Accessed 28 August 2022).

Republika (2016) ‘Kisah Nyai dan Pergundikan di Batavia.’ Bagian 2 Republika https://republika.co.id/berita/nasional/umum/16/02/19/o2qyfh385-kisah-nyai-dan-pergundikan-di-batavia-bagian-2habis (Accessed 28 August 2022).

VOI (2022) 'Today’s History, May 28, 1619: Jan Pieterszoon Coen Conquered Jayakarta with Additional War Fleet from Maluku.' Voice of Indonesia. https://voi.id/en/memori/172731/history-today-may-28-1619-jan-pieterszoon-coen-conquer-jayakarta-with-additional-war-fleet-from-maluku (Accessed 28 August 2022).

Wikipedia (2022) Batavia, Dutch East Indies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia,_Dutch_East_Indies (Accessed 23 August 2022).

Wikipedia (2022) Dutch Golden Age. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Golden_Age (Accessed 23 August 2022).

Pictures:

Picture 1: A Lady Seated at a Virginal, 1672 by Johannes Vermeer (Wikimedia Commons)

Picture 2: The Love Letter, 1669-1670 by Johannes Vermeer (Wikimedia Commons)

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

To this day, the torso of a female corpse lies somewhere in a German hospital, identity unconfirmed. Or perhaps it has been buried in a location undisclosed by German authorities. The headless and limbless corpse was found in the basement of Charité Hospital, Berlin in 2007 by forensic medicine head, Dr. Michael Tsokos. This was the beginning of the task to uncover the truth surrounding the death of 20th century socialist martyr, Rosa Luxemburg.

Dr. Rosa Luxemburg (born March 5, 1871) was a revolutionary socialist, a prolific writer, and political theoretician considered to be one of the key historical figures of the Left. Her activism began in her native Poland where she was forced to leave in 1889 to avoid authorities and move to Switzerland. After studying in Zurich University, she was one of the first women in the world to have a doctorate in economics. Luxemburg moved to Germany 1897 to join the socialist movement, where she obtained German citizenship.

In Germany in 1915, with German socialist, Karl Liebknecht, Luxemburg co-founded the anti-war Spartacus League (Spartakusbund). This caused them both to spend most of World War I imprisoned for opposing the war and Germany’s involvement in it. Luxemburg viewed that war and nationalism will destroy the international workers’ solidarity. Luxemburg and Liebknecht continued their opposition after being released in 1918 and subsequently had to go into hiding.

On January 15, 1919, Luxemburg and Liebknecht were found and arrested by members of the Freikorp, a right-wing paramilitary group. It was on this night that they were both murdered separately. It is believed that Liebknecht was shot from the back in Tiergarten park. He was buried in Friedrichsfelde cemetery. There were eyewitness accounts of Luxemburg being hit by a rifle butt on the head and shoulders, however, Luxemburg’s whereabouts were unknown until a few months later, when a body of a woman was found afloat along Berlin’s Landwehr Canal. It was officially identified as Rosa Luxemburg and then buried next to Liebknecht.

The discovery of an embalmed female torso in the Berlin hospital in 2007, almost 90 years after Luxemburg’s death, reignited the mystery surrounding her murder. After studying the corpse, Dr. Tsokos had reasons to believe that it could be Luxemburg, particularly because the hips showed signs of osteoarthritis which matched Luxemburg’s condition when she died. Luxemburg’s legs were of differing length causing her to walk with a limp.

As with the autopsy conducted of the body pulled out from the canal, it did not show this particular sign of hip damage and the rifle butt blows said to have been inflicted upon Luxemburg. These inconsistencies suggest that those who carried out the original autopsy in 1919 were pressured to confirm that it was Luxemburg’s body. Then, who was the woman found in the canal and buried next to Liebknecht? The initial grave was vandalized by the Nazis in 1935 and the remains were never recovered.

These circumstances led Dr. Tsokos to conduct a series of investigation to obtain Luxemburg’s DNA in order to confirm the identification of the mystery corpse. He began his investigation by trying to obtain saliva samples which in turn led him to trace Luxemburg’s ex-lovers.

Polish politician, Leo Jogiches—Luxemburg's former lover—was murdered for investigating her death. Luxemburg's love letters to Jogiches—who once threatened to kill her if she took another lover—are now part of a collection of Rosa's letters published in 2011. Initially, Dr. Tsokos tried to obtain these love letters to retrieve any traces of Luxemburg’s saliva that might remain on the back of the postage stamps but was unsuccessful.

Further search led Dr. Tsokos to another of Luxemburg’s ex-lover—physician, social economist, and political activist, Kostja Zetkin. Zetkin who was much younger than Luxemburg was the son of her best friend, Clara Zetkin—pioneer of International Women's Day. Unfortunately, it was not possible for Kostja Zetkin 's descendants, who are now living in the United States, to find anything that used to belong to Luxemburg that Zetkin had kept.

Dr. Tsokos even tried to obtain strands of Luxemburg’s hair kept by another former lover, German lawyer, Paul Levi. However, this too led to no avail.

The search was then directed toward Luxemburg’s surviving relatives. Finally, a DNA sample was obtained from Luxemburg’s great-niece from her brother’s side. Unfortunately, test results from the male relative line have only 40% to 60% certainty. This is the anticlimax in the story of the murder of the socialist hero, a murder ordered by Captain Waldemar Pabst. The corpse is now with the German government who had said that they will do further testing, but no announcement has since been made. Still, every year in January, Luxemburg’s admirers hold a march to the Friedrichsfelde cemetery to commemorate the death of the revolutionary icon.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2022)

#RosaLuxemburg #socialism #Germany #history

You might be interested to read International Women's Day 2025: Looking Back Over a Century Ago

Sources

Coast Reporter (2017) ‘A headless corpse in Berlin and its Sunshine Coast connection.’ http://www.coastreporter.net/news/local-news/a-headless-corpse-in-berlin-and-its-sunshine-coast-connection-1.23075668 (Accessed May 2018).

Connolly, Kate (2009) ‘The hunt for Rosa Luxemburg.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/10/rosa-luxemburg-berlin (Accessed 28 May 2018).

europeana.eu (2022) Rosa Luxemburg: radical revolutionary. https://www.europeana.eu/en/blog/rosa-luxemburg-radical-revolutionary (Accessed 1 May 2022).

Gietinger, Klaus (2020) ‘The Man Who Murdered Rosa Luxemburg.’ Jacobinmag. https://jacobinmag.com/2020/01/rosa-luxemburg-murder-waldemar-pabst-germany/ (Accessed 16 January 2020).

Jagarnath, Vashna (2017) ‘Rosa Luxemburg: freedom only for the members of one party isn't freedom at all.’ The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/rosa-luxemburg-freedom-only-for-the-members-of-one-party-isnt-freedom-at-all-85865 (Accessed 20 May 2018).

Kauffmann, Audrey (2010) ‘Murder mystery over “Rosa the Red”’ Telegraph.co.uk. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6980408/Murder-mystery-over-Rosa-the-Red.html (Accessed 16 May 2018).

Spiegel Online (2009) ‘Berlin Authorities Seize Corpse for Pre-Burial Autopsy.’ http://m.spiegel.de/international/germany/rosa-luxemburg-mystery-continues-berlin-authorities-seize-corpse-for-pre-burial-autopsy-a-667606.html (Accessed 29 May 2018).

Starke, Helmut Dietmar (2020) ‘Rosa Luxemburg: Life, Revolutionary Activities, Works, & Facts.’ Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rosa-Luxemburg (Accessed 17 May 2020).

Witt, Emily (2011) ‘The Mystery of Rosa Luxemburg’s Corpse.’ Observer http://observer.com/2011/03/the-mystery-of-rosa-luxemburgs-corpse/ (Accessed 20 May 2018).

Wroe, David (2009) ‘Rosa Luxemburg murder case reopened.’ Telegraph.co.uk. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/6840393/Rosa-Luxemburg-murder-case-reopened.html (Accessed 18 May 2018).

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/

(Republished)

Speeding down the road on her pale blue Triumph 21, Jane turns and stops to join the other bikers at the side of the road. Mick, her boyfriend, is waiting for her. They are part of the Rockers, one of Britain’s youth subculture of the 1960s. They are all going to Clacton to spend Easter weekend at the seaside. It turned out to be a day they would never forget.

Fifty-six years later, Jane recalls what had happened that Easter weekend in 1964. “By the time we arrived at the seaside, Mods had crowded the beach.”

This was the beginning of the infamous ‘Battle of Pier Gap’. The clash between two youth groups, the Rockers and the Mods, would make history on this beach. By the end of the day at Clacton, arrests were made on both sides.

Mary, who was also present at Clacton that day, left the scene on her Vespa after her fellow Mods, boyfriend Jimmy and cousin John, had been arrested. The next morning, she woke up to a media frenzy which shook the country. The papers reported about a youth gang fight on the beach, describing it as the moral decadence of Britain’s future generation. Mary realized that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

The overwhelming press coverage had turned the Rockers and the Mods into the image of Britain’s ruthless teens. As Mary remembers it, “Some of the things that the papers said happened were true, but most weren’t.”

The Mods were a new breed of British youngsters that emerged after the Rockers during the 1960s. They ditched the loud motorbike, heavy leather jacket, denim, and boots—the ‘50s-rooted culture that the Rockers worshipped—for scooters and continental style attire. Mods danced in R&B and Jazz clubs, while Rockers listened to American ‘50s Rock and Roll. They may have not liked each other, but any clashes were, as Jane described, “harmless compared to England’s backstreet gang fights.”

The series of ‘60’s seaside battles (in Margate, Brighton, Hastings, Bournemouth, and Clacton) were isolated events, each causing minor damage. The media turned the events into something more perhaps because they needed “news” to write about after Britain had rose from its war-torn state. For Jane, this did the damage. She resented the fact that, “[their] Rebellion against the system was shifted to a gang war problem.”

Nevertheless, aside from the intention of creating a media sensation, the papers may have been expressing, albeit in a rather exaggerated manner, what at that time appeared frightening to the older, wartime generation: A new generation of teens who are independent and have spending power, and with the military draft abolished, have no responsibility to the country.

The Rockers and Mods were working teens, better educated and some were making more money than their parents. They were able to purchase motorbikes and buy better clothes than their parents. When it came to clothes, the Mod had a distinctive taste, but with a philosophy to go with it.

“It was about individuality,” former Mod, Mary explained, “We didn’t want to be part of the masses, we wanted to be a different working class.” For Mary who is a week shy of her 72nd birthday, the Mods were a symbol of rebellion against the old way of doing things.

Unsurprisingly, the industries welcomed the consumerism of the new generation. The Rockers’ love for big motorbikes resulted in the boom of Britain’s motorcycle industry and the Mods’ love for clothes benefited the fashion industry. Wide media coverage took the Mod look from the streets to the stores. But by this time, for the original Mods, this meant the end of it.

The media and the industries undeniably contributed to the fall of the Rockers and the Mods ‘60s subcultures. “We started from the streets, Mods were underground. It was about freedom. When everybody started dressing the way we did, it was over for me,” Mary, explained. She couldn’t have said it any better.

-Some Thoughts from the Cappuccino Girl- (2022)

Note:

Mary and Jane are loosely based on real people; Mick, Jimmy, and John are fictitious.

This article has been published on YouMe.social and TheTundra.com in 2020.

You might be interested to read about Britpop: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-not-so-hip-britpop.html

Or read Who Were the Mods?: https://wordsmith.social/cappuccinogirl/who-were-the-mods

#rockers #mods #history #fashion #UK #popculture #Britain #subculture #counterculture #music

POPULAR TOPICS #subculture Gurlesque: Poetics of the Bizarre, Ugly, and Feminine #films Mrs. Robinson, Countercultures, and Politics #history The Dutch Golden Age, Golden for Whom? I also write articles here: https://feministpassion.blogspot.com/