Too anxious to please: moralising gender in fashion magazines in the early nineteenth century

Abstract

The turn of the nineteenth century witnessed a rise in fashion and ladies' magazines across Europe. With an emerging consumer culture and the rise of the middle class, these magazines offer glimpses into important societal changes. A new gender order was being established, and magazines were one area where developing gender values were articulated. Setting out from the Swedish magazine Magasin för konst, nyheter och moder, this article analyses gender-related values, focusing on the importance of being fashionable and on amorous liaisons and marriages. The results show a distinct ambiguity in values, with contradictory images of women's ideal behaviour, and the international influence on the making of a Swedish middle class.