To browse Academia. This paper explores the symbolism and cultural significance of mannequins in Weimar Germany, particularly how they reflect societal anxieties and changing perceptions of femininity during that era. Through a critical analysis of contemporary literature and the evolving display practices of fashion, the study reveals the complex dynamics between mass production, individuality, and the representation of modern womanhood.
The diverse functions of mannequins in fashion display are examined, highlighting their role beyond mere decoration to embody broader cultural themes. Walking down a street in Berlin, not far from the Spittelmarkt where numerous mannequin factories had their store fronts, the author describes the "stylized products of display window artists" as "the spooky beauties" that appear by the "hundreds of thousands all over Germany and around the world to demonstrate to us how to wear shirts, dresses and hats" Hessel a: Indeed, by the end of the s, the manufacture of mannequins, as well as fashion in general, was a flourishing business in Germany.
There were over a dozen large mannequin factories in Berlin alone, where the thriving industry of ready-to-wear clothing "Konfektion" counted close to companies and was making huge profits in domestic and international sales see Parrot ;Guenther Observing the unprecedented proliferation of mannequins in Berlin shop windows, Hessel is frightened by their stylized expressions, their uniform faces and their "gazes," in which the male observer reads human character traits such as "coldness, corruptness, impertinence and haughtiness.
Sie bestaunen nicht, 'was ein Mann nicht alles denken kann'. Sie durchschauen uns" Ibid. The image of the mannequin in Hessel's essay is paradigmatic of the hesitant ways in which the changes in the appearance of the "real" Weimar woman -her body, clothes and presence in the public spaces of the city -were greeted by the public.
As another contemporary put it:. Sie ist die Realisierung des Modetyps als Wunschkomplex. It is the aggressive "Modetyp" -rather than the mannequin itself -that irritates Hessel. And this reaction is not surprising, since elsewhere in his writing, he has repeatedly given voice to his mixed feelings about the modern Berlin woman -admiring her athletic figure, elegant clothes and self-confident presence on the street, while at the same time chiding her excessive rationality, her conspicuous pragmatism and her emphatic embrace of independence.
