"No Fertile Soil for Pathogens": Rayon, Advertising, And Biopolitics in Late Weimar Germany (Report)

Introduction When Kunstseide (artificial silk), or rayon, entered the consumer market following the First World War, it was nothing short of revolutionary. (1) The new fabric, which looked and felt like real silk for as little as half its price, was the first substitute for the natural material, and by 1925 it had exploded in popularity. (2) Although it was also widely used in other apparel (men's neckties, outerwear linings, and underwear) its first application was in ladies' clothing--blouses, dresses, and accessories such as stockings, and in the brassieres and lingerie that replaced the previous decades' restricting corsets. (3)