“Is Cleopatra Black?”: Examining Whiteness and the American New Woman

In the 1920s and 1930s, conceptions of “New Woman” Egyptomania shaped American culture. Employing methods critical race art history material culture studies, I focus on a 1925 Callot Soeurs dress silk pajamas (c. 1920–1929), taking into consideration both semiotic qualities Egyptian motifs as they circulated in early twentieth century visual well sensuous aspects garments. Through primary sources like cosmetic advertisements, fashion magazines, costume manuals, contextualize figure Cleopatra symbol white beauty power this period. Weighing aspects, argue that repeated act wearing these garments by white-presenting women placed them performative valence, where wearer ironically became woman through her appropriation motifs. Further, conferred modernity, cosmopolitanism, class status an acceptable sexuality upon wearer. As such, address how objects shape subjectivity, simultaneously reflecting producing racialized gendered discourses. By focusing womanhood, draw studies whiteness order to disrupt its invisible normative status. This essay traces operational logic aids dismantling pervasive supremacy continues circulate today.