Filip Žanpera
Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Zagreb
First year BA student
fzanpera@gmail.com
Original scientific paper
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3773484
Abstract: Women are perceived primarily as homemakers in the work Knjiga za svaku ženu (The book for every woman), and their femininity is framed exclusively in aesthetic terms. Subjects covered by Knjiga are mainly placed in the domain of the home, barely outside of it, and seldom further than the fence. When Knjiga discusses women at the workplace or in theatre, the terms used are regularly restrictive and prescriptive – a woman must not, or, must act in a certain manner. Wherever she may be, the woman must think about others, be it her husband, the alcoholic, or the young communist she is raising at home, or whether her looks and behaviour are insulting to those around her. A woman must always be aware of her appearance – too much make-up signals bad taste and kitsch, too little make-up shows the lack of care. Knjiga also dedicates an entire chapter to the subject of fashion where the authors go to great lengths to show what was considered “allowed” and “banned” combinations of clothes and colours, depending on the woman’s age and status. The woman is, as the front page of an older edition of Knjiga shows. However, even though Knjiga remained very traditional through its numerous editions, the newer ones do show the promised syncretism of progressive socialism and patriarchy. That is best demonstrated by the contradictory image of a woman who is at the same time under immense and constant social pressure to look and behave in a manner that will not offend those around her, while at the same time being entrusted with the task of raising the new socialist man, but also given the choice to decide whether and when to give birth to a child. Knjiga gives women the tool to shed the chains of patriarchy, while at the same time still propagating the restrictive and oppressive patterns of behaviour belonging to past times. It could be said, with a healthy dose of irony, that Knjiga is the “third way” for women – somewhere between radical progressivism and oppressive gender imperialism, patriarchy with a human face.
Keywords: Knjiga za svaku ženu, patriarchate, Yugoslavia, socialism, femininity, gender history
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