Abstract
This chapter is an example of psychobiographical research, and deliberately employs the object relations theory of Donald Winnicott to explore the life narrative of the selected subject, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (1883–1971). Chanel—also known as, and popularly referred to as Coco Chanel—was a 20th century couturier and fashion icon. She challenged conventional femininity and masculinity in her styles—and, in doing so, also challenged the gender lines and mores of the time. In the context of a difficult early life marked by the death of her mother and being orphaned, poverty, rejection, and shame she established immense prominence. Following from this ‘rags to riches’ story, there has been an interest in not only her success—but also in the intimacies of her life. This chapter examines her life in a new way by considering her development psychologically, and the formation of her identity and the impact that this had on how she related to her self and the world. Facets of this identity (such as the ‘adored self’, the ‘collapsed and fragile self’, and the ‘self-made woman’) include a powerful split between her authentic and false self; and for much of her life she seemed to struggle with this. With a new reading of the subjective world of Chanel and her creativity—that is, how Chanel became Coco to the world—this chapter contributes to the growing, but limited number of psychobiographies on fashion icons. It also demonstrates the particular relevance of the object relations theory of Winnicott to modern psychoanalytic psychobiographies.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alvesson, M., & Sköldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive methodology. London, UK: Sage.
Anderson, J. W. (2003). Recent psychoanalytic theorists and their relevance to psychobiography: Winnicott, Kernberg and Kohut. In J. Winer & J. Anderson (Eds.), The annual of psychoanalysis, Vol. 31: Psychoanalysis and history (pp. 79–94). Hillsdale, N.J.: Analytic Press.
Bellafante, G. (1998). June 8). 100 Years of fashion: The century’s style file. TIME Magazine, 151(22), 84–87.
Bonaminio, V. (2012). On Winnicott’s clinical innovations in the analysis of adults. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 93, 1475–1485.
Brandell, J. R. (2010). Contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on attachment. Psychoanalytic Social Work, 17(2), 132–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228878.2010.512265.
Brumberg, J. J. (1988). Fasting girls: The emergence of anorexia nervosa as a modern disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Chaney, L. (2010). Coco Chanel: An intimate life. London, UK: Penguin Books.
Charles-Roux, E. (1976). Chanel: Her life, her world, and the woman behind the legend she herself created (N. Amphoux, Trans.). New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing.
De Fabianis, V. M. (Ed.). (2010). A matter of style: Intimate portraits of 10 women who changed fashion. Vercelli, Italy: White Star Publishers.
Delay, C. (1974). Chanel solitaire (B. Bray, Trans.). Paris, France: Éditions Gallimard.
Dunne, E. (2013, September 4). Seven wonders: How Coco Chanel changed the course of women’s fashion. Wonderland Magazine [Online]. Retrieved from http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/09/seven-wonders-how-coco-chanel-changed-the-course-of-womens-fashion/.
Fouché, P. J. P. (1999). The life of Jan Christian Smuts: A psychobiographical study (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Frogett, L. & Trustram, M. (2014). Object relations in the museum: A psychosocial perspective. Museam Management and Curatorship, 29(5), 482–497. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2014.957481.
Galante, P. (1973). Mademoiselle Chanel (E. Geist & J. Wood, Trans.). Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing.
Gidel, H. (2000). Coco Chanel. Paris, France: Éditions Gallimard.
Goldstein, E. (2010). Object relations theory and self psychology in social work practice. London, UK: Simon & Schuster.
Green, A. (1978). Potential space in psychoanalysis. In S. Grolnick & L. Barkin (Eds.), Between reality and fantasy (pp. 167–190). New York, NY: Aronson.
Haedrich, M. (1972). Coco Chanel: Her life, her secrets (C. L. Markmann, Trans.). London, UK: Robert Hale.
Hollway, W., & Jefferson, T. (2000). Doing qualitative research differently. London, UK: Sage.
Li, C. (2015). Fashion as self-expression. https://www.ignant.com/2015/10/22/fashion-as-self-expression/.
Madsen, A. (2009). Coco Chanel: A biography. London, UK: Bloomsbury.
McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Morand, P. (1976). L’Allure de Chanel (E. Cameron, Trans.). Paris, France: Hermann Publishing.
Newman, K. M. (2013). A more usable Winnicott. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 33, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/07351690.2013.743805.
Palombo, J., Bendicsen, H. K., & Koch, B. J. (2009). Guide to psychoanalytic theories. New York, NY: Springer.
Parker, R. (2013). The improbable return of Coco Chanel: As witnessed by her assistant, Richard Parker. Narragansett, RI: eBook Bakery.
Picardie, J. (2010). Coco Chanel: The legend and life. London, UK: Harper Collins.
Stroud, L. A. (2004). A psychobiographical study of Mother Teresa (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth.
Spirito, S. (2010). With lovers as her muse: How men influenced the designs of Coco Chanel. Art & Art History Student Papers (Providence College). Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.providence.edu/art_students/1.
Summers, F. (2013). The psychoanalytic vision: The experiencing subject, transcendence and the therapeutic process. New York, NY: Routledge.
Summers, F. (2014). Object relations theories and psychopathology: A comprehensive text (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Sun, F. (2012, April 2). All-time 100 fashion icons: Coco Chanel. TIME Magazine, 179(13), 91–94.
Vaughan, H. (2012). Sleeping with the enemy: Coco Chanel’s secret war. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1947). Hate in the countertransference. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 194–203). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1950). Aggression in relation to emotional development. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 214–218). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1951). Transitional objects and transitional phenomena. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 229–242). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1952). Psychoses and child care. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 219–228). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1956). Primary maternal preoccupation. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 300–305). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1958). The capacity to be alone. In The Maturational processes and the facilitating environment (1965, pp. 29–36). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1960a). The theory of the parent-infant relationship. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 41, 585–595.
Winnicott, D. W. (1960b). Ego distortion in terms of true and false self. In The Maturational processes and the facilitating environment (1965, pp. 171–178). New York, NY: International Universities Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1962). Ego integration in child development. In Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (1975, pp. 56–63). New York, NY: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1963). The development of the capacity for concern. In The maturational processes and the facilitating environment (1965, pp. 83–92). New York, NY: International Universities Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1964). The child, the family and the outside world. London, UK: Penguin Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1965a). The family and individual development. London, UK: Tavistock Publications.
Winnicott, D. W. (1965b). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment. New York, NY: International Universities Press.
Winnicott, D. W. (1967). Mirror-role of the mother and family in child development. In P. Lomas (Ed.), The predicament of the family: A psycho-analytical symposium (pp. 26–33). London, UK: Hogart.
Winnicott, D. W. (1969). The use of an object. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 50, 711–716.
Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and reality. London, UK: Tavistock Publications.
Winnicott, D. W. (1975). Collected papers: Through pediatrics to psychoanalysis (2nd ed.). London, UK: Tavistock Publications.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Verwey, L., Knight, Z.G. (2019). In Search of Self: How Chanel Became Coco to the World. In: Mayer, CH., Kovary, Z. (eds) New Trends in Psychobiography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16952-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16953-4
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)