근대 상품광고로 본 新소비문화와 신여성

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to analyze the new trends of consumption culture enjoyed by the modern women that appeared in the rapidly changing society due to the inflow of Western culture into Korea and to discover one of the aspects of the modern women of the day. In the beginning, the word ‘modern women’ were mostly interpreted as those women who received the new modern education at school, used as the opposite word for ‘old fashioned women or traditional women.’The modern women appeared as the new main agent of product consumption pursuing new changes and trends for their look and style. However, as the category of the modern women gradually and socially became broadened, the men-oriented society began giving them a negative look. Accordingly, the image of the modern women also changed; they were considered as negative factors that habitually spend their money and have extravagant tastes. When it comesto the flow of modern commercials, advertisements of cigarettes and alcohol, which frequently appeared before 1900s and between 1910s and 1920s, slowly disappeared giving other products spots of the advertisements. Medicine and medical supplies had the largest number of advertisements during modern times, placing themselves as the most popular advertiser. In 1910s, accessories such as shoes, watches, hats, and glasses ranked the second taking a 37.4% of advertisements followed by cosmetic advertisements. These product commercials and advertisements prove that new consumption culture appeared in the modern times. The increase of the advertisements of accessories, cosmetics, and clothes especially show that consumption of woman consumers also gradually increased in the modern times. Various products were actively consumed by modern women such as cosmetics, clothes, and accessories that can enhance their appearance; the modern women clearly showed differences in their appearance from the traditional women. Furthermore, there also had been a social conflict between the traditional women who pursued traditions and the modern women who actively accepted new cultures. These analyses imply that the modern women who received the new education pursued new things and changes placing themselves at the center of new consumption culture; this image has settled as one of the general characteristics of the modern women separated from the traditional women.