© 2010 Julia Silvia Feldhaus ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Between Commodification and Emancipation: Image Formation of the New Woman through the Illustrated Magazine of the Weimar Republic By Julia Silvia Feldhaus A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School – New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in German Written under the direction of Martha B. Helfer And Michael G. Levine And approved by ____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October 2010 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Between Commodification and Emancipation: Image Formation of the New Woman through the Illustrated Magazine of the Weimar Republic By JULIA SILVIA FELDHAUS Dissertation Directors: Martha B. Helfer Michael G. Levine This dissertation investigates the conflict between the powerful emancipatory image of the New Woman as represented in the illustrated magazines of the Weimar Republic and the translation of this image into a lifestyle acted out by women during this era. I argue that while female journalists promote the image of the New Woman in illustrated magazines as a liberating opening onto self-determination and self- management, this very image is simultaneously and paradoxically oppressive. For women to shake off the inheritance of a patriarchal past, they must learn to adjust to a new identity, one that is still to a large extent influenced by and in the service of men. The ideal beauty image designed by female journalists as a framework for emancipation in actuality turned into an oppressive normalization in professional and social markets in which traditional rules no longer obtained. Women enjoyed the sexual ii liberation the New Woman‘s image proffered. Yet, at the same time, they struggled to adjust to the image the media promoted – in particular to the demands of a perfect body and a blemish-free surface. Through an analysis of the contributions of female authors to the popular illustrated magazines of the Weimar Republic and the literary texts of these same authors, I draw out the subtleties of the identity struggle the New Woman endured. The authors I consider were themselves torn between the demands of the largely masculine publishing house Ullstein and their personal interests as female authors. While Ullstein asked its authors to retail the New Woman image and sell themselves as authentic New Women, Vicki Baum, Gina Kaus and Irmgard Keun nonetheless took a critical position toward this very image in their works. This complication informs my reading of Irmgard Keun‘s Gilgi-eine von uns (1930) and Das kunstseidene Mädchen (1932), Vicki Baum‘s Pariser Platz 13 (1930), and Gina Kaus‘ss novel Die Verliebten (1929). These texts show a deep ambivalence about the representation of women in the Ullstein magazines Uhu, Die Dame and Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung. While the image of the New Woman is constructed in these illustrated magazines, its feasibility is problematized in the literary works of the female writers I consider in this dissertation. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank my advisor, Martha Helfer, for her tireless support. From her I learned that writing is a lonely process, although it was not that lonely in the end because she was always there to help when nothing worked anymore. My deepest gratitude goes to Martha. A very big thank you also goes to my co-advisor, Michael Levine. His encouragement and expertise helped me to think more clearly about the questions at hand. He made me a better scholar, and his dedication to detail turned me into a better writer. I thank my dissertation committee, Andres Zervigon and Marlene Ciklamini for their time and support in this long process. I would also like to thank the rest of the German faculty, who helped a great deal throughout my graduate studies, and the dissertation process. Moreover, I would like to thank my husband for his patience and loving support. I would like to thank the DAAD for granting me a summer research grant and making my research in Berlin possible; as well as Women in German for a Zantop travel award. It helped tremendously in locating the material I needed. Furthermore, I thank some incredible people who pushed me into new directions of thinking about my research topic: Professor Elke Brüns, Professor Mila Ganeva, Professor Julia Bertschik, and Professor Hans-Peter Janz. iv A big heartfelt thank you goes to Hildburg Herbst, who brought me into the German department and encouraged me to take on this path. I would also like to thank my friends at Rutgers, as well as in Germany, who did not stop asking me about this project, and pushed me to complete it until it was finally done. Thank you also to Frau von Behren for her professional and emotional support in the years before I came to America. Last but not least a special thank you goes to my dear friend Melanie Holm who read it all, and whose suggestions made this dissertation into a more pleasant read stylistically. v Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… ii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………….. iv Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………. vi Table of Illustrations……………………………………………………………... vii Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 1 Chapter One: The Representation and Participation of New Women in the Illustrated Magazine of the Weimar Republic……………………………… 22 Chapter Two: The Influence of the Illustrated Magazine on Irmgard Keun‘s Novels Das kunstseidene Mädchen and Gilgi—eine von uns…… 66 Chapter Three: Gender Trouble in Vicki Baum‘s Pariser Platz 13. Eine Komödie aus dem Schönheitssalon.................................................................. 118 Chapter Four: Performative Beauty in Gina Kaus‘s Die Verliebten..................... 163 Appendix: Figures.................................................................................................... 211 Bibliography............................................................................................................ 260 Curriculum Vitae.................................................................................................... 268 vi Table of Figures Chapter 1 Fig. 1.1. – Fig. 1.3. : Beim Verschönerungsarzt, BIZ, March 1926, issue 14 Fig. 1.4.: Yva‘s Strümpfe, 1932; Yva: Photographies 1925-1938 Fig. 1.5.: Uhu cover, November 1932, issue 2 Fig. 1.6.: Was ich an meiner Frau liebe; Uhu November 1930, issue 2 Fig. 1.7.: Neo Kruschen Salz, Uhu, April 1929, issue 7 Fig. 1.8.: Eta Tragol Bonbons, Uhu, April 1929, issue 7 Fig. 1.9.: Punktroller, Uhu, September 1927, issue 12 Fig. 1.10.: Gütermanns Nähseide, Uhu, September 1927, issue 12 Fig. 1.11.: Der schöne Hut, Uhu, September 1927, issue 12 Fig. 1.12.: Wheel Hat, September 1927, issue 12 Fig. 1.13.: Kodak Kamera, Lehmann/Stegl circa 1920, Weisser, Michael. Wirksam wirbt das Weib. Die Frau in der Reklame.Edition Deutsche Reklame. 1985. 77. Fig. 1.14.: Tanzmaske von der Südsee, Uhu, April 1929, issue 7 Fig. 1.15.: Frau und ihr Spiegelbild, Uhu, April 1928, issue 7 Fig. 1.16.: Taky Advertisement, Uhu, April 1928, issue 7 Fig. 1.17. – 1.24.: Kätchen Lampe, Uhu, November 1932, issue 2 Fig. 1.25. – 1.31.: Der Schnurrbart, Uhu, June 1931, issue 9 Fig. 1.32.: Sei schön durch Elida, BIZ, June 1926, issue 25 Fig. 1.33.: Sei modern, BIZ, March 1926, issue13 Fig. 1.34.: Selbstbewusst, BIZ, May 1926, issue 21 Fig. 1.35.: Rahma Ostern, BIZ, April 1926, issue 14 Fig. 1.36.: Rahma Pfingsten, BIZ, May 1926, issue 21 vii Fig. 1.37.: Rahma Kinder, BIZ, May 1926, issue 18 Fig. 1.38. – 1.41.: Eine tüchtige Hausfrau muss 41 Berufe können, Uhu September 1925, issue 12 Fig. 1.42.: Ein Tag für die Schönheit, Die Dame, First April issue 1932, issue 14 Fig. 1.43.: Schönheitsideale, Die Dame, First May issue 1928, issue 16 Chapter 2 Fig. 2.1.: Kalodermaseife, Bubikopf und Gretchenzopf, exhibition catalog, 1995 Fig. 2.2. – 2.3.: Lux Seifenflocken, Uhu April 1925, issue 7 Fig. 2.4.: Yva‘s Strümpfe Stockings. 1932, vintage print Kunstbibliothek SMB, Lipperheidesche Kostuembibliothek; Yva: Photographies 1925-1938. 135. Fig. 2.5.: Glanzbilder viii 1 Introduction Selbstbewußt ist die Frau aus dem Schatten des Mannes herausgetreten und hat sich kameradschaftlich neben ihn gestellt. Sie gibt dem Leben der zwanziger Jahre unverwechselbare Konturen und Farben, gestaltet kräftig mit und bleibt dennoch in den traditionellen Rollen, den alten Fesseln verstrickt.1 This dissertation investigates the conflict between the powerful emancipatory image of the New Woman as represented in the illustrated magazines of the Weimar Republic and the translation of this image into a lifestyle acted out by women during this era. I argue that while female journalists promote the image of the New Woman in illustrated magazines as a liberating opening onto self-determination and self- management, this very image is simultaneously and paradoxically oppressive. For women to shake off the inheritance of a patriarchal past, they must learn to adjust to a new identity, one that is still to a large extent influenced by and in the service of men. The ideal beauty image designed by female journalists as a framework for emancipation in actuality turned into an oppressive normalization in professional and social markets in which traditional rules no longer obtained. Women enjoyed the sexual liberation the New Woman‘s image proffered. Yet, at the same time, they struggled to adjust to the image the media promoted