Teaching girls to consume. Marilú Child magazine (1933-1937)

Abstract

By the end of 1932, the doll “Marilú” was introduced in the argentinian market for the first time. So as to promote it, a number of strategies were used, among which, the publication of the magazine Marilú, la mejor amiga de las niñas (Marilú, the gilrs´best friend) stands out. In this article, I will approach the relationship between the doll “Marilú” and the weekly magazine Marilú, but fundamentally focusing on the last one. The selected period covers from the appearance of the magazine for the girls, in 1933, up to the moment it became a monthly fashion magazine for adult women, in 1937. In the following pages, the magazine will be analyzed in its different dimensions. On one side, as a publication with several objectives, for instance, the advertising of “Marilú” and its accessories, the construction of a community of reader-consumer girls and the consolidation of the doll´s consumer guide, among others. On the other side, as a magazine which was a consumer item in itself and that, therefore, was seeking to stay in the market. Finally, in accordance with other discourses, the magazine will be examined as a manual of the roles that, supposedly, corresponded to women.