Authors

Natasha Vinnikova¹;  ¹ University of the Arts London, UK

Discussion

This paper explores the role of costume in women’s onscreen representation during the Soviet Thaw period, arguing for its significance in the construction and contestation of gender norms. By analysing the complex relationship between costume, film narratives, and broader societal discourse, the paper shows how costume is key to creating a contrast between an idealised Soviet femininity, marked by a mundane appearance and associated with positive protagonists, and a traditional femininity, distinguished by spectacular costumes and linked to negative leads.
The paper aims to demonstrate the ability of costume to overcome the limitations of treating women's representation merely as a consequence of a dominant state and patriarchal ideologies. By focusing on the disruptive force of spectacular dress (Gaines, 1990; Cook, 1996; Bruzzi, 1997) in the Soviet film Different Fates (1956), the paper examines how costumes push against the societal norms of the time and break stylistic conventions making an impact on Soviet women’s sartorial choices. Specifically, by drawing on the theories of socialist good taste (Bartlett, 2010) and rational consumption (Reid, 2002), the paper delves into how spectacular dress challenges the traditional hierarchy between narrative and costume and undermines its negative connotations, subverting the norms of good taste, thereby broadening the understanding of Soviet femininity.