Gender Representation on Postcards of the Inter-war Era

Abstract

Using the examples of postcards from the inter-war era of the 20th century, it will be shown how media culture participates in building and maintaining social order by defining gender roles. Several of the most representative examples of French provenance, which belong to the collection of postcards of the National Museum of Leskovac have been singled out. Media culture is inseparable from visuality, since, based on a given visual expression, it creates a framework within which the recipient of media content will perceive, interpret and form an opinion. Gender representations on postcards of the inter-war era are precious testimonies of patriarchal ideology and women’s subordination that is represented as natural, although it is a cultural construct. Gender discrimination is a phenomenon that still exists today. Even though the status of women in European societies has undergone a radical change during the past century, the inequality still exists on the basis of their economic and social status. The article seeks to encourage research on the same or similar topic in order to find the roots of gender dichotomy and to understand it so that we can work towards its eradication.