Barbara Kruger and the Fragmentation of the Happy Housewife

As a result of her background in graphic design, artist Barbara Kruger is able to subvert the visual and textual techniques used by contemporary mass media advertisers who prescribe messages of social conformity. Her style is unique in that she often works within the confines of portrayals of female imagery reminiscent of 1950s advertising media. By employing images and texts that refer to feminine ideology that developed during the post-war era with current techniques in graphic design, Barbara Kruger illuminates and attempts to counteract the presence of the ideal of feminine passivity and domesticity, both of which continue to remain a prevalent tool for female confinement and objectification