“Woe to the Household Where the Pomodarka (Fashonista) Rules”: An Analysis of Negative Narratives on Fashion in Serbian Press at the Turn of the 19th to 20th Century

Abstract

The discourse on fashion as a negative social factor has always existed alongside interpretations of fashion as a positive, creative, and emancipatory force, yet its intensity fluctuated depending on specific social circumstances. Within conservative public narratives, the adoption and practice of certain aspects of fashion were often labeled as recklessness, frivolity, vanity, or even betrayal—attributes most frequently ascribed to the younger generations, and especially to women. By analyzing texts from Serbian-language newspapers and journals from the late 19th and early 20th centuries – a period during which negative discourse was particularly dominant - this study seeks to identify and categorize the main motifs in arguments portraying fashion as foreign and harmful. A preliminary examination of the material reveals several recurring themes: moral and ethical condemnation of “those who follow fashion,” concerns regarding women’s physical health, and, as a consequence, the disruption of the integrity of the entire community to which these individuals belonged. The aim of this research is to achieve a deeper understanding of this dimension of the social and political life of fashion—namely, its instrumentalization in the press and other public outlets that historically served as mechanisms for regulating cultural identities within Serbian society.