Exclusive Clip: Margaret Atwood Says a “Sinister” Old Dutch Cleanser Ad Inspired Handmaid’s Tale Costumes
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It turns out that we have a “sinister-looking” cleaning lady to thank for the most iconic costume in The Handmaid’s Tale. In an exclusive clip from Margaret Atwood’s MasterClass creative writing course, the author explains that a creepy ad from the 1940s inspired the handmaids’ signature look.
“The costume is partly inspired by nuns, of course,” Atwood says in the clip, “but also by the Old Dutch Cleanser package of the 1940s, which showed this pretty sinister-looking woman holding a great big stick. She was supposed to be chasing the dirt, but she had a bonnet that was hiding her face. So I think I imprinted on that as a child; it was quite a mysterious figure.”
Intrigued? Here’s the ad:
