{
  "id": 1369135,
  "title": "What inspired the outfits in Margaret Atwood's \"The Handmaid's Tale\"",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/what-inspired-the-outfits-in-margaret-atwoods-the-handmaids-tale",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T23:00:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/outfit-inspiration-in-margaret-atwoods-handmaids-tale-60-minutes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Margaret Atwood, the renowned dystopian fiction author, drew inspiration for the outfits in her famous work, The Handmaid's Tale, from various real-life events and sources. The story took shape after the election of Ronald Reagan in 1981, a time when the religious right was gaining political influence. This was coupled with an increased role for women in the workforce, prompting Atwood to ponder how to bring women back into the home.\n\nAtwood's fascination with totalitarianism and power led her to explore the means by which such regimes enforce control. She cited George Orwell's 1984 as an influential work that shaped her understanding of totalitarian societies. In creating the iconic red cloaks and bonnets worn by the Handmaids, Atwood found inspiration in an old can of Old Dutch cleaning solution from the 1940s, which she found particularly frightening.\n\nThe color red, symbolic of Mary Magdalene and the Scarlet Letter, was chosen for the Handmaids, while blue represented the Virgin Mary for the Wives. Atwood's meticulous research and attention to detail, coupled with her background in government and power dynamics, allowed her to create a chillingly realistic portrayal of a totalitarian society set within the heart of liberal America.",
  "summary": "In an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim, author Margaret Atwood joked about the signature red cloak and bonnet: \"Well, if you have a cult, and if you have totalitarianism, you have to have outfits.\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Margaret Atwood gets personal with \"Inner Advice Columnist\" in new memoir",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/margaret-atwood-gets-personal-with-inner-advice-columnist-in-new",
        "published": "2026-08-16T23:00:24.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}