"The argument of this book is well articulated ... . This is an engaging, well-written book, suitable for multiple audiences, from undergraduates to specialists. It addresses an understudied topic in a sophisticated yet accessible way by bringing together both archival and original materials and experiences. ... the claims of the book are solid and compelling, and an important contribution to the study of Italy in the postwar period as well as to women's studies." (Giovanna Parmigiani, Modern Italy, April 8, 2021)
1. Introduction: Italy and the Arrival of Mrs. Consumer
Part I
2. How to Read like Mrs. Consumer: Modernizing and Americanizing the Mondadori Publishing Company’s Magazine Division
3. How to Shop and Dress like Mrs. Consumer: Rebuilding La Rinascente the American Way
Part II
4. How to Shop, Store, and Cook Food like Mrs. Consumer: The Refrigerator, Women, and the Italian Home
5. How to Be Beautiful like Mrs. Consumer: American Beauty and Italian Women
Part III
6. The Catholic and Communist Mrs. Consumer
7. Were They Really Mrs. Consumers
8. Conclusion
Jessica L. Harris is currently Visiting Assistant Professor in the History Department of Allegheny College, USA, and will be joining St. John's University as Assistant Professor of History. She is a scholar of Modern Italy, Black Europe, 20th century U.S. and the World, and African American History. Jessica has held fellowships at the University of Toronto, Canada and Oxford University, UK. Her work has appeared in Modern Italy, Imago. Studi di cinema e media, and Carte Italiane.