The Use of Dress to Navigate Pregnancy and Postpartum in Ghana

Abstract

The transition to motherhood often involves navigating multiple, often conflicting, identities, which calls for negotiations across various aspects of the self and identity. Apart from collective body management practices in Ghana, different ideals of maternal dress and appearance coexist in the context of globalization. Drawing insight from Goffman's dramaturgical theory, this study explores the role of dress in navigating pregnancy and motherhood and the significance of social interaction and the audience in the negotiations. Through interviews with 42 mothers in Ghana, we identify three primary forms of embodied performances: that of a traditional mother; a fashionable and modern mother; and a productive and professional worker. By focusing on the dynamics of power relations, as well as the strategies that underlie these performances, such as idealization, role distancing, covering, and passing, we obtain a nuanced understanding of maternal performance in the Global South, specifically Ghana.