A not so ordinary story of disobedience: The ‘Little White Dress’ as a contemporary manifesto? | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Clothing Cultures
  4. Volume 8, Issue 2
  5. Article
Volume 8, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2050-0742
  • E-ISSN: 2050-0750

Abstract

When US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez debuted at Met Gala in September 2021, her white dress with the words ‘Tax the rich’ scrawled in large red letters spawned a fierce debate on the political message conveyed. In this article, we want to reconfigure the choice of Ocasio-Cortez from a cultural perspective and make sense of the ongoing legacy of the ‘Little White Dress’, a garment that appears as a sort of canvas to express social and political statements. Its genealogy is indeed complex and obscure. Following Naomi Lubrich’s reconstruction, the dress appeared during the French Revolution probably as a sartorial tribute to democracy modelled on an ancient Greek women’s gown, but it was also worn by Queen Marie Antoinette as a symbol of innocence and martyrdom. It was then adopted by Napoleon’s wife Joséphine as a recalling of her Caribbean ascent and fully integrated into the imperial fashion as a sign of the sobriety of classical antiquity. During the Revolution and the Empire, women’s magazines matched the dress with an astonishing range of exotic accessories, showing how polyvalent the dress was; its meaning, however, grew more and more connected to the political sphere and from time to time linked with colonialism, Jewish emancipation and the abolition of slavery. In the recent scenario, the dress has reappeared in some important cultural events, shining for its talent to support political messages and challenging the observers to make sense of its polyhedric nature.

© 2021 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00051_1
2023-05-29
2024-04-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Alexander, Victoria D.. ( 1993), Sociology of the Arts: Exploring Fine and Popular Forms, Hoboken, NJ:: Wiley and Sons;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Appadurai, Arjun. (ed.) ( 1986), The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Bell, David A., and Mintzker, Yair. (eds) ( 2018), Rethinking the Age of Revolutions: France and the Birth of the Modern World, New York:: Oxford University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bonnell, Victoria E., and Hunt, Lynn. (eds) ( 1999), Beyond the Cultural Turn: New Directions in the Study of Society and Culture, Berkeley, CA:: University of California Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Burke, Peter. ( 2004), What is Cultural History?, Cambridge and Malden, MA:: Polity Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Calanca, Daniela. ( 2002), Storia sociale della moda, Milan:: Bruno Mondadori;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Chartier, Roger. ( 1990), Les origines culturelles de la Révolution française, Paris:: Éditions du Seuil;.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Cook, James W.. ( 2012;), ‘ The kids are all right: On the “turning” of cultural history. ’, American Historical Review, 3, pp. 746–71.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Dant, Tim. ( 1999), Material Culture in the Social World: Values, Activities, Lifestyles, Buckingham:: Open University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Desan, Suzanne. ( 2000;), ‘ What’s after political culture? Recent French revolutionary historiography. ’, French Historical Studies, 1, pp. 163–96.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. du Gay, Paul,, Hall, Stuart,, Janes, Linda,, Madsen, Anders Koed,, Mackay, Hugh, and Negus, Keith. ( 1996), Doing Cultural Studies: The Story of the Sony Walkman, London:: Sage Publications;.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Edelman Holman, Amy. ( 1998), The Little Black Dress, London:: Aurum Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Fairchilds, Cissie C.. ( 2000;), ‘ Fashion and freedom in the French Revolution. ’, Continuity and Change, 15:3, pp. 419–33.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Furet, François. ( 1978), Penser la Révolution française, Paris:: Éditions Gallimard;.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Furet, François, and Richet, Denis. ( 1965), La Révolution, Paris:: Librairie Arthème Fayard;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Godechot, Jacques, and Palmer, Robert R.. ( 1955;), ‘ Le problème de l’Atlantique du XVIIIe au XIXe siècle. ’, in Atti del X Congresso Internazionale di Scienze Storiche, Relazioni, V, Storia contemporanea, Florence:: Sansoni;.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Griswold, Wendy. ( 2013), Culture and Society in a Changing World, Thousand Oaks, CA:: Sage Publications;.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Gundle, Stephen. ( 2008), Glamour: A History, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Helleve, Arnfinn,, Flisher, Alan J.,, Onya, Hans,, Mukoma, Wanjiru, and Klepp, Knut-Inge. ( 2009;), ‘ South African teachers’ reflections on the impact of culture on their teaching of sexuality and HIV/AIDS. ’, Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11:2, pp. 189–204.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Higginbotham Brooks, Evelyn. ( 1993), Righteous Discontent: The Women’s Movement in the Black Baptist Church, 1880–1920, Cambridge, MA:: Harvard University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Hirsch, Paul M.. ( 1972;), ‘ Processing fads and fashions. An organization set analysis of culture industry system. ’, American Journal of Sociology, 77, pp. 639–59.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Hunt, Lynn. ( 1984), Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution, Berkeley, CA:: University of California Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Hunt, Lynn. (ed.) ( 1989), The New Cultural History: Essays, Berkeley, CA:: University of California Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Jaurès, Jean. ( 1953–55), Storia socialista della Rivoluzione francese (ed. G. Manacorda.), Milan:: Cooperativa del libro popolare;.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Kopytoff, Igor. ( 1986;), ‘ The cultural biography of things: Commoditization as a process. ’, in A. Appadurai. (ed.), The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;, pp. 65–91.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Lefebvre, Georges. ( 1932), La Grande Peur de 1789, Paris:: Félix Alcan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. London, Caroline. ( 2018;), ‘ The Marie Antoinette dress that ignited the slave trade. ’, Racked, 10 January, https://www.racked.com/2018/1/10/16854076/marie-antoinette-dress-slave-tradechemise-a-la-reine. Accessed 31 March 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Louvrier, Julien. ( 2007;), ‘ Marx, le marxisme et les historiens de la Révolution française au XXe siècle. ’, Cahiers d’histoire. Revue d’histoire critique, 102, pp. 147–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Lubrich, Naomi. ( 2016;), ‘ The Little White Dress: Politics and polyvalence in revolutionary France. ’, Fashion Theory, 3, pp. 273–96.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Ludot, Didier. ( 2001), Little Black Dress: Vintage Treasure, Paris:: Assouline Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Marx, Karl. ( 1973), Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, London:: Lawrence & Wishart;.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1917), Études robespierristes, vol. 1. La corruption parlementaire sous la Terreur, Paris:: Librairie Armand Colin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1918), Études robespierristes, vol. 2. La conspiration de l’étranger, Paris:: Librairie Armand Colin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1922), La Révolution française: Tome I: La chute de la royauté (1787–1792), Paris:: Librairie Armand Colin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1927), La Vie chère et le mouvement social sous la Terreur, Paris:: Armand Colin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1985a), La Révolution française: Tome II: La Gironde et la Montagne, Paris:: Denoël;.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Mathiez, Albert. ( 1985b), La Révolution française: Tome III: La Terreur, Paris:: Denoël;.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Matos, Amanda R.. ( 2019;), ‘ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cardi B jump through hoops: Disrupting respectability politics when you are from the Bronx and wear hoops. ’, Harvard Kennedy School Journal of Hispanic Policy, 31, pp. 89–93.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Miller, Daniel. ( 2020;), ‘ If the Little Black Dress is the solution, what is the problem?. ’, in Barnard, M.. (ed.), Fashion Theory: A Reader, London:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Pellegrin, Nicole. ( 1993;), ‘ Le vêtement comme fait social total. ’, in C. Charle. (ed.), Histoire sociale, histoire globale?, Paris:: Fondation de la Maison des sciences de l’homme;, pp. 81–94.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Poirrier, Philippe. (ed.) ( 2008), L’histoire culturelle: un tournant mondial?, Dijon:: Éditions Universitaires;.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Ribeiro, Aileen. ( 1988), Fashion in the French Revolution, New York:: Holmes & Meier Publishers;.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Ruggerone, Lucia. ( 2001), Al di là della moda. Oggetti, storie, significati, Milan:: FrancoAngeli;.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Sheriff, Mary D.. ( 1996), The Exceptional Woman: Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and the Cultural Politics of Art, Chicago, IL:: University of Chicago Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Sheriff, Mary D.. ( 2003;), ‘ The portrait of a queen. ’, in D. Goodman, and T. E. Kaiser. (eds), Marie-Antoinette: Writings on the Body of a Queen, New York:: Routledge;, pp. 45–72.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Simmel, Georg. ( 1900;), ‘ A chapter on the philosophy of value. ’, American Journal of Sociology, 5, pp. 577–603.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Soboul, Albert. ( 1958), Les sans-coulottes parisiens en l’An II: Mouvement populaire et gouvernement révolutionnaire: 2 juin 1793-9 thermidor An II, Paris:: Clavreuil;.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Tylor, Edward B.. ( 1871), Primitive Culture: Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Custom, London:: John Murray;.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Waquet, Dominique. ( 2015;), ‘ Costumes et vêtements sous le Directoire: Signes politiques ou effets de mode?. ’, Cahiers d’Histoire: Revue d’histoire critique, 129, pp. 19–54.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Weber, Caroline. ( 2007), Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution, London:: Aurum;.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Gorla, Filippo, and Cereda, Ambrogia. ( 2021;), ‘ A not so ordinary story of disobedience: The “Little White Dress” as a contemporary manifesto?. ’, Clothing Cultures, 8:2, pp. 157–70, https://doi.org/10.1386/cc_00051_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00051_1
Loading
A not so ordinary story of disobedience: The ‘Little White Dress’ as a contemporary manifesto?
Clothing Cultures 8, 157 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1386/cc_00051_1
/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00051_1
/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00051_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): cultural biography; cultural object; cultural sociology; emancipation; French Revolution; materiality; Met Gala; simple white dress

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error