The Show Must Go On

This article presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the glamorization of thecourtesan image as proposed by Baz Luhrmann’s film Moulin Rouge.The film sparked the appearance of high-street fashion inspired by the image of the19th-century Parisian courtesan, which prompted the authors to examine how and whysuch images might appeal to female consumers. The critical analysis reaches beyondthe images themselves to identify and discuss the modes of circulation of suchimages, and their function in achieving both the material ends of capitalism(ever-increasing consumption and production) and the promotion of one of thesystem’s core values (patriarchy). Moreover, the article hopes toillustrate the possibilities offered by integrating cultural and structural analysesof current social phenomena