Shopping for Freedom: Women, Consumerism, and the Public Sphere
Picture this: a sunny afternoon in 1893 Paris. Elegantly dressed women step into the dazzling new Galeries Lafayette, their skirts brushing against the threshold of a transformative experience. Inside, a whirlwind of movement and sensation unfolds—perfume counters beckon, racks overflow with sumptuous fabrics, and light streams through expansive glass ceilings. For these women, this was no ordinary shopping trip. It was a revolution.
In a world where the public sphere was largely the domain of men, department stores offered women a sanctuary, a controlled yet liberating space where they could reclaim visibility in the urban environment. These magnificent retail palaces, with their innovative architecture of steel and glass inspired by World Exhibitions, were designed not just to sell products but to create an experience. Women could linger without pressure to buy, browse freely, and even partake in cultural activities like concerts, art exhibitions, and tea.
« Victorian shopping was similarly understood in spatial terms. Shopping meant a day in Town, consuming space and time outside the private home. A shopper might have lunch out, take a break for tea, visit a club, museum or the theatre »
For centuries, urban streets had been deemed unsuitable for "respectable" women—filthy, chaotic, and often unsafe. Women of high society were confined to their homes, stepping out only for carefully curated religious or social events. The only women out in the streets were those of the working class, for economic purposes. But department stores broke this mold. They were not just places of commerce but "miniature cities" built for women, blending the safety and comfort of the private sphere with elements of public life: cafés, libraries, and spaces for social interaction. Yet these spaces were neither fully private nor truly public—a peculiar, hybrid environment that symbolized both progress and constraint.
Far from being trivial, the rise of department stores intertwined consumerism with women’s emancipation. For the first time, women had a socially acceptable reason to engage in the public sphere, managing their finances, exploring independence, and asserting their tastes. Some even used these spaces as hubs for political action; British suffragettes, for instance, met in Selfridges’ cafés to organize their campaigns.
But this newfound freedom came with contradictions. The allure of department stores introduced new pressures: seasonal fashion cycles, the rise of prêt-à-porter, and the increasing objectification of women’s bodies. Shopping became both a symbol of liberation and a tool of social control, reinforcing beauty standards and consumer expectations.
Today, department stores have evolved into shopping malls, continuing to shape women’s passage from the private sphere to the public one. For many young teenagers, these spaces offer a controlled environment where they can explore socialization in public for the first time. These malls, much like the department stores of the past, function as a microcosm of the outside world—secure, contained, and yet still a place for social exchange and self-expression. For parents, they provide a safe space to let their children experience independence. However, as with their 19th-century predecessors, these spaces continue to reflect and perpetuate societal norms, especially regarding women’s roles in both consumer culture and public life. Though these spaces offer freedom, they also reinforce new forms of control and consumer expectations, continuing the complex relationship between women, consumerism, and public space.
This text has been translated with the help of AI.
Images:
Grands Magasins du Louvre Affichette publicitaire, 1860, BnF Estampes et photographie.
Jean-Alexis Rouchon, Affiche publicitaire, 145 x 103 cm, 1856, BnF Estampes et photographie.
Pegram, Fred, “The Dedication of a Great House”, Selfridges, Print, Victoria and Albert Museum Collection, 1909.
Daily Mail Reporter, “Proof that men HATE shopping! Hilarious pictures from across the world show men bored out of their minds waiting for their partners”, Photos, Daily Mail Online, Published on the 3 February 2014.
