Jeffrey Berris
After the First World War, the French economy became an emerging consumer economy. In this era, “the economy linked fashion and beauty pageants directly with the emerging consumer economy.” The Beudet’s live in a home that is well decorated with lavish accessories and accents. At first glance, knowing what the average person knows about clothes, it seems that the clothes that Madame and Monsieur wore appeared to be very nice and stylish. When we examine these subtle details about the Beudet’s life, we can tell that they fall into the upper class category, monetarily speaking. The art on the walls, the piano in the room, the countless vases and many other objects that appear on screen suggest that they have a somewhat high socioeconomic status. The reason being because these were only accessories that people with money could afford.
Dulac shows the viewers that Monsieur Beudet works as a clothing merchant. Beudet and his partner are frequently seen in the factory as they go through fine cloth swatches together (12 minutes into the film). Because the filmmaker has shown us that the Beudet’s are wealthy in a variety of ways, we must infer that the cloth industry was doing well at the time. During this period after the war “there was an increase in purchasing power and an increase in the demand for consumer products.” Not only was there a demand for these products in France but also in America. 
The consumer products in addition to cosmetics, included items made from cloth, which is the industry Monsieur Beudet works in. “Thanks to technological advances and rising wages, even working-class women could now afford these products.” Because of the bustling textile and cloth industries at the time, knowing what we know about the clothes and accessories in their house, we can clearly infer that the Beudet’s were wealthy.
Oxford University Press. “Beauty and big business: gender, race and civilizational decline in French beauty pageants, 1920–37.” French History 28, no. 1 (1987).