Early spanish fashion journals for women as catalysts of afrancesamiento and female subordination

Abstract

Las primeras revistas de moda españolas para las mujeres como catalizadores del afrancesamiento y la subordinación femenina DOI: http IntroductionThis article explores the dual influence of afrancesamiento in Spain in the nineteenth century, as effected through early fashion journals for women 1 , while at the same time commenting on the restraining influence on women of this kind of press. Journals for women were allowed at this time and even encouraged by governmental structures, as long as they kept their focus on trivial things related to women's limited domestic existence. This was the case with fashion journals of the period, which, besides offering advice on clothing and appearance, contained information relating to family and better management of the household. Fashion was considered one of those "safe", trivial female things that could occupy and entertain women and increase women's attractiveness to their husbands.However, as we comment further, in the nineteenth century Spanish fashion was predominately French. Spain was highly influenced by French culture and customs; this phenomenon is known as afrancesamiento. As we elaborate further, fashion was one of the main tools of the functioning of afrancesamiento in the nineteenth century. Not only did Spanish women try to imitate their fancy French idols, but they tried to identify with them and become them superficially through their appearance, behavior, language and general mannerisms. This was a paradoxical situation because, in the nineteenth century, Spanish women were still enslaved by rigid laws of domesticity and unable to reach the level of emancipation that French women enjoyed.The disparate imitation of the superior French female model, which was allowed and encouraged by patriarchy, kept Spanish women confined by the masculine power structure, while creating an illusion of progress and emancipation. This demonstrates the dual influence of afrancesamiento on Spanish culture, society and politics-one highly deteriorating and perilous for Spanish national identity and another, in the case of fashion and female imitation of French fashion, beneficial to the Spanish patriarchy and for its preservation of the gender-power balance.