Fashionable Childhood

Vanska offers new perspectives on the common media refrains surrounding children’s appearance, sexuality, and “lost” innocence. This welcome contribution to the literature on children, fashion, and advertising provides important historical and theoretical context for a frank analysis of contemporary controversies, sexuality, portrayals of children, and child models. -- Jennifer Farley Gordon, Iowa State University.
Little has been written about the impact of fashion imagery and the representation of children’s identities until now. Original, highly informed and well researched, this book is an important contribution to the field of fashion scholarship. -- Vicki Karaminas, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand.
Reader Alert: This book turns heads. Fashionable Childhood provides a unique insight into the mutually constitutive spheres of consumer culture, childhood and the visual representation of children. What follows is a compelling and insightful analysis of the significance of fashion and the contested terrain of childhood innocence. Anyone who thought fashion was marginal or trivial will think again. This book makes a valuable and timely contribution to the field, with a strikingly thought-provoking approach to making sense of modern childhood in contemporary times. -- Mary Jane Kehily, Professor of Gender and Education, The Open University, UK