Femininity, Post-Fordism, and the ‘New Traditionalism’

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Abstract
In this paper I explore the links between identity and space, and in particular the relationship between female identity, consumption, and the space of the home. I argue for the centrality of images to the construction of femininity. Through a case study of contemporary representations of the family and traditionalism in advertising, I illustrate how advertisers exploit tensions in femininity, and in turn mediate and negotiate these tensions. Alongside the economic and cultural shifts associated with post-Fordism, a reorganization of gender relations is taking place. A ‘new traditionalism’ in advertising, as one of a number of significant female consumer identities, is an attempt to redefine women's roles in line with a nostalgic discourse of familialism and a return to the private sphere of the home. Space and place are central to the definition of the ‘new traditionalist’ woman.

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