Margaret Atwood

Today I went to see Margaret Atwood in theatre in Utrecht. She was being interviewed about her new book and other matters. Great to see her in real life!

She told how she came up with the idea for the way the Handmaidens are dressed in The Handmaid's Tale. In the 1950's there was this cleaning product with an image of a Dutch woman. Nothing about the woman is recognisable. Dressed in a shapeless dress, wearing a cap on the head, shielding her face. This inspired her for the clothing of the Handmaidens.