ODESA WOMEN’S MAGAZINE “ROBITNYTSIA I DOMASHNIA HOSPODYNYA” AS A FASHION GUIDE IN 1926–1927

Khrystyna Astaptseva

doi:10.23856/6702

Khrystyna Astaptseva National University “Lviv Polytechnic” https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1578-5747

Keywords: Soviet women’s press, Robitnytsia i Domashnia Hospodynya magazine, Odesa during Ukrainization, Ukrainian fashion during Ukrainization, anti-Bolshevik views, feminism, fashion journalism

Abstract

The article analyzes the content of Robitnytsia i Domashnia Hospodynya (Female Worker and Housewife), a free supplement to the newspaper Visti, published in Odesa in 1926–1927. The magazine stood out for its feminist orientation and significant focus on fashion, which was atypical for the Soviet press. Among eight issues, 23 publications dedicated to fashion, clothing design, and sewing were documented. The magazine featured diverse genres, including advisory articles, instructions, satirical essays, and advertisements. Special attention was given to European fashion trends, the adaptation of French and British ideas to Soviet life, and the promotion of embroidery as an element of modern attire. The magazine’s content demonstrates a subtle opposition to communist ideology that likely triggered its closure. The article emphasizes the cultural significance of the publication, the role of editor Izrail Khait in popularizing European trends in Ukrainian fashion, and the magazine’s importance in the context of Ukrainization and the development of national fashion. Issues of aesthetics and self-expression through fashion became central to the debate between Soviet ideology and women’s desire for individuality, making the magazine a significant cultural phenomenon in Ukrainian fashion journalism.

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