The motif of clothing illustrates the theme of The Irony of Nostalgia for a Brutal Past and highlights the tension between a curated self and the constraints of one’s environment. In the modern timeline, Natalie’s wardrobe functions as a collection of costumes for her “Yesteryear Ranch” persona. Her aprons, in particular, are not just for cooking but are branded merchandise, their colors carefully selected for specific marketing goals. When Shannon asks, “Weren’t you going to wear the purple apron today?” (11), it underscores that Natalie’s clothing choices are dictated by her content calendar, not personal preference. These carefully selected prairie dresses and rustic garments allow her to perform an idealized version of traditional femininity, creating a visual brand that is both aspirational and deeply inauthentic.

When Natalie is thrust into 1855, however, her clothing signifies her complete loss of control and identity, actualizing the brutal function of the costumes she wore for her influencer brand. She is horrified to wake up in “…the strange nightgown I’m wearing. A floral, cotton thing I’ve never seen before in my life” (38). This moment marks her transition from a content creator, who meticulously authors her own image, to a character whose costume is assigned to her. The stiff, colorless, and purely functional garments of the past strip away her influencer persona, reflecting the theme of Domestic Labor as a Form of Gendered Subjugation. Clothing is no longer a tool for self-expression. Instead, it is a symbol of her entrapment in a role defined by grueling work and anonymity.