Politics and the Female Image in Iceland

National dress is a significant factor in a culture’s international identity and therefore, is especially political. While each nation has a higher, official culture that is portrayed internationally, people living within that culture have their own creative craft and ways of doing things. Although ritualistic aspects, including national dress, bind a society together, liminal moments tend to lead to a change in ritual or rather, the creation of a new narrative. Dr. Karl Aspelund used his study of national dress, and more specifically the female image, in Iceland to reveal the political influences that surround a nation’s identity in the form of dress.