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History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology
Mid-America College Art Association Conference 2012 Digital Publications
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From Playground To Fetish: The Identity Of (The) Mary Jane, Georgina Ruff
From Playground To Fetish: The Identity Of (The) Mary Jane, Georgina Ruff
Mid-America College Art Association Conference 2012 Digital Publications
Cartoon characters Buster Brown and his sister Mary Jane both wore Mary Jane shoes in 1905. The style was practical for active children – easy to don and securely fastened to busy feet. Yet by the turn of the 21st century, Mary Jane styles have been adopted by the high fashion industry and fetish culture in forms that are considerably less practical for certain forms of activity. This research traces the transition of the Mary Jane through the twentieth century, from the feet of children to the pages of Vogue and ultimately the couch of Freud. Along the way, …