Refashioning feminism: American Vogue, the second wave, and the transition to postfeminism

Anna Lebovic*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    4 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article explores how America's pre-eminent fashion magazine, Vogue, received, interpreted, and translated second-wave feminism. Although throughout the 1960s articles within the periodical criticized gender discrimination, the radicalism of some feminist activism and the condemnation of fashion as patriarchal and oppressive complicated Vogue's position. After the advent of "choice feminism," Vogue's editorial content overcame this roadblock, and by the late 1970s, the magazine advocated a more feminized and consumer-centric form of feminism. In so doing, Vogue's editorial content successfully rehabilitated fashion by reconciling it with feminism. This came, however, at the expense of second-wave feminism, which was diluted in the bid to create a more "modern" product. As a case study, therefore, Vogue's content in the 1970s exposes how the need to engage second- wave feminism enabled the magazine to adapt and modify the feminist message, paving the path to postfeminism.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)109-132
    Number of pages24
    JournalJournal of Women's History
    Volume31
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2019

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