Cleopatra’s Charms: The Ancient Beau Ideal in American Press at the Turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries became an era of crucial socio-economic changes for the United States. One of the main consequences of these processes was a gradual rethinking of the position of women in society, which led to a serious revision of beauty standards, in which women themselves now took an active part. At the same time, the markets of large cities was actively saturated with the offer of all kinds of goods and services that promised to gain external attractiveness. An important platform that provided space for both discussion and marketing was the rapidly developing mass media, which replaced the former party press. Living at the expense of revenues from advertising, the mass periodicals began to actively appeal to their female audience. The authors of polemic articles and advertisements used different arguments to convince the new readership. Quite often, the journalists turned to the legacy of Antiquity, which still preserved its high status. Based on the materials of mass periodicals of large American cities at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, this article shows how journalists used ancient history to promote self-care practices and advertise certain goods and services. It helps to appreciate rhetorical strategies employed by supporters and opponents of various features of the new woman's lifestyle and the place historical analogies occupied in their argumentation.

Keywords

American history, gender history, beauty industry, mass media, reception of classical antiquity

Received

26.05.2020

Publication date

29.01.2021

Number of characters

28390

Cite

GOST	Kondrashuk R. Cleopatra’s Charms: The Ancient Beau Ideal in American Press at the Turn of the 19th and 20th centuries // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2021. – Issue 1 C. 60-68 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640013377-2-1 (circulation date: 06.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640013377-2
MLA	Kondrashuk, Ruslan "Cleopatra’s Charms: The Ancient Beau Ideal in American Press at the Turn of the 19th and 20th centuries." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 1 (2021):60-68. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640013377-2
APA	Kondrashuk R. (2021). Cleopatra’s Charms: The Ancient Beau Ideal in American Press at the Turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (1), pp.60-68 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640013377-2

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