Domestic Goddesses
Monday, September 25, 2006 | posted by Mike
There is a great article from Details magazine about the recent rise in the number of attractive young women populating food TV. I think the author hits the nail right on the head on a number of points, and provides especially good insights into some of the sociological and cultural trends that are both causing and being caused by the rise of the “domestic goddess.”You all know how much I like to roll up my sleeves and get into the larger issues and trends associated with the things we see in food TV. Like I have said, I think it’s a tremendous microcosm of popular culture. The author of the piece sees this, too, and traces the development of the “ideal woman” from Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched to Giada De Laurentiis. Each has reflected her era, and each has been alluring to men in different ways.
I think the most interesting part of the article arises from the fact that it is written for a male audience. Although the author mentions the changing role of women in society as one of the driving forces in the evolution of the ideal woman, he also states that changes in men over the past few years have led us to the domestic goddess stage. Specifically:
Guys who two generations ago might have wound down with Monday Night Football or the stock-market koans of Louis Rukeyser are just as apt to relax by whipping up some panna cotta. The 21st-century man cooks, cleans, decorates, and renovates, and his libido is fungible enough to adapt.He also states that, in the age of career women, the domestic goddess has become the exception to the rule:
Corporate careers devour free time for men and women alike, and those women who do stay at home are inclined to see the predicament as a gulag of drudgery and despair. The happy housewife, in 2006, has become as exotic as a Bond girl.The whole article is a great read, so be sure to check it out. Particularly cool is the fact that the author includes a quote from Adam, friend of TVFF.com and the man behind Men in Aprons and GiadaFan. It’s great to see the TV food blog community getting some notice!
As usual, Adam sums it up nicely when it comes to Giada:
“She’s beautiful, she’s successful, and she can cook.”And what more could a guy want?
Labels: Giada De Laurentiis
