Russian style on show

The recent success of Anna Karenina and US reality TV show Russian Dolls has provoked a surge of interest in Russian women and their style of dress which is now being explored by a Teesside University sociology lecturer.

Dr Anna Pechurina, who is originally from Russia, believes the flamboyant style, strong make-up, bright dresses and high heels, is a stereotypical general view of Russian women that is reinforced by the reality TV shows.

Dr Pechurina will be discussing her work at a seminar at Teesside University on 5 December – 4.00pm – 6.00pm, Clarendon Building.

'This type of gaudy and status-seeking, sexualised and promiscuous femininity is the typical view of the Russian female consumer in American culture,” says Anna. “I am interested in how Russian women ‘look’ at the other communities, primarily host groups such as the British or Finns. Do they want to adjust to those contexts or draw visible boundaries between them and the local groups?'

Working with a fellow academic from the University of Helsinki, Dr Pechurina has interviewed migrant Russian women in both countries and their findings are that the Russian communities are not unified by their clothing – often their choices are informed by other factors such as age, gender and class.

'Clothing has become a 'culturally communicative phenomenon. There is a perception of Russian women being more carefully and meticulously dressed. One Finnish interviewee said ‘They are more serious about their appearance. Russians pay more attention to little details of their wardrobe.

'This meticulous attitude is perfectly explained by one of our interviewees from the point of view of the recent past – the Soviet legacy. In the years of shortages while struggling with lack of clothes, people in the Soviet Union applied what they had, for example accessories and jewellery to diversify their look.'

The Finns and the British are often perceived as more relaxed about their clothing – one interviewee explained: “Many Russians like this. You don’t have to do make-up for 45 minutes before going to buy bread.”

'Things have changed over the past 20 years in the context of transnational consumer culture. Open borders and opportunity to travel around the world to see different cultures is one of the reasons why ‘Russian style’ is sometimes referred to in the past – an old Soviet style that doesn’t exist anymore,' concludes Dr Pechurina.

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