The magazine Mon mariage: Selling the dream (1948−1951)
Launched in Montreal in 1948, Mon mariage magazine was published annually until 1985. Strongly inspired by its American counterparts, it gave the fiancé and, especially, the fiancée, a multitude of advice that went beyond the simple preparations for the ceremony, addressing subjects such as happiness for two, the roles of the husband and wife and the family budget. At the same time, the advertisements, which were numerous and illustrated, supported the content of the magazine articles, albeit by presenting material goods as the basis of the couple’s happiness. The magazine consecrated the marriage as a materialistic celebration. By returning to this very popular periodical, which has been neglected by researchers until now, this article intends to show how marriage, from the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, was redefined to emphasize ostentatious spending, with the wife being assigned the de facto role of consumer expert.