Contemporary studies in consumer research significantly shifted the attention towards gender identities and its importance in consumer culture (Epp and Price 2008, Humphreys and Thompson 2014; Dion et al 2014, Cova et al 2013), however less attention was given to ideological aspects in gender representations persisting in today’s marketing practice (Thompson and Üstüner 2015, Thompson and Coskuner-Balli 2007). CCT scholars often look at the social reproduction (Bourdieu 1979) and construction of identity as a result of socio-historic and sociocultural change that are evoked through meanings, symbols and signs (Moisio, Arnould, Price 2004, Arsel and Bean 2013). Wallendorf and Arnould (1991) argue that class and gender norms undergo through intergenerational transmission that often represent the collective past and Humphreys and Thomson (2014) suggest culturally iconic images as significant element in consumer decision making process and they represent the ‘bigger systematic picture of integrated political and market structures’ (Holt 2012, McDonagh et al 2012). Thus the theoretical and conceptual conversation around CCT allows this study to fulfil the gap by looking at the reproduction of gender ideology that presumably generates iconographic images of motherhood (mothers) in print advertisement. Following Schroeder’s interpretation we agree that images are core components of advertising practice that continuously circulate in everyday life by producing and reproducing sociocultural meanings (Schroeder 2006, Borgerson and Schroeder 2002;), stimulate gender roles (Goffman 1979), circulate signs and symbols that contribute towards identity formation as well as lifestyle choices (Arnold and Thompson 2005, Featherstone 2006). Thus this study explores archetypical images of mothers in Russian consumer culture and proposes five archetypes of motherhood frequently used in print media. By implemented body of theory in consumer research we suggest a novel theoretical framework that attempts to unpack iconography of Russian mothers and the effect of reproduced gender ideology in Russian consumer culture
