In the two hundred years since her death, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) has became a hugely popular subject in academic scholarship and pop culture alike. Her role as a fashion icon in eighteenth-century France has resulted in monumental influence on contemporary fashion and pop culture aimed at young women. However, the effects of anti-fashion, anti-Rococo, and anti-woman sentiment in late-eighteenth-century culture continue to color our perception of the \"frivolous,\" feminine world she represents. This thesis explores the relationship between women, fashion, art, and politics in eighteenth- century France: women's social and political gains, the rise of the fashion industry, how Marie Antoinette in particular used fashion as a means of constructing political and personal identity, and the resulting backlash. The last chapter considers how Marie Antoinette has managed to remain an icon to contemporary female audiences, demonstrating a powerful relationship between women, fashion, and identity.
","abstract_html":"<p>In the two hundred years since her death, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) has became a hugely popular subject in academic scholarship and pop culture alike. Her role as a fashion icon in eighteenth-century France has resulted in monumental influence on contemporary fashion and pop culture aimed at young women. However, the effects of anti-fashion, anti-Rococo, and anti-woman sentiment in late-eighteenth-century culture continue to color our perception of the "frivolous," feminine world she represents. This thesis explores the relationship between women, fashion, art, and politics in eighteenth- century France: women's social and political gains, the rise of the fashion industry, how Marie Antoinette in particular used fashion as a means of constructing political and personal identity, and the resulting backlash. The last chapter considers how Marie Antoinette has managed to remain an icon to contemporary female audiences, demonstrating a powerful relationship between women, fashion, and identity.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sooper, Molly"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Heidi Chreiten, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:44Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/293","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Heidi Chreiten, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Sooper, Molly"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/293"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In the two hundred years since her death, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) has became a hugely popular subject in academic scholarship and pop culture alike. Her role as a fashion icon in eighteenth-century France has resulted in monumental influence on contemporary fashion and pop culture aimed at young women. However, the effects of anti-fashion, anti-Rococo, and anti-woman sentiment in late-eighteenth-century culture continue to color our perception of the \"frivolous,\" feminine world she represents. This thesis explores the relationship between women, fashion, art, and politics in eighteenth- century France: women's social and political gains, the rise of the fashion industry, how Marie Antoinette in particular used fashion as a means of constructing political and personal identity, and the resulting backlash. The last chapter considers how Marie Antoinette has managed to remain an icon to contemporary female audiences, demonstrating a powerful relationship between women, fashion, and identity.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Fashion, Femininity, Frivolity: Marie Antoinette and the Rococco Legacy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Heidi Chreiten, PhD","Leslie Ross, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Sooper, Molly"],"dc:description.abstract":["In the two hundred years since her death, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) has became a hugely popular subject in academic scholarship and pop culture alike. Her role as a fashion icon in eighteenth-century France has resulted in monumental influence on contemporary fashion and pop culture aimed at young women. However, the effects of anti-fashion, anti-Rococo, and anti-woman sentiment in late-eighteenth-century culture continue to color our perception of the \"frivolous,\" feminine world she represents. This thesis explores the relationship between women, fashion, art, and politics in eighteenth- century France: women's social and political gains, the rise of the fashion industry, how Marie Antoinette in particular used fashion as a means of constructing political and personal identity, and the resulting backlash. The last chapter considers how Marie Antoinette has managed to remain an icon to contemporary female audiences, demonstrating a powerful relationship between women, fashion, and identity.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/293"],"dc:subject":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["Fashion, Femininity, Frivolity: Marie Antoinette and the Rococco Legacy"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:44Z"}