Glamour in the Good: Exhibiting Glamour's Expression in Toronto's Urban Imaginary

This dissertation examines the beguiling but illusory concept of glamour as a historical and aesthetic component of Torontos urban imaginary. In the years since William Howland, Torontos 25th mayor from 1886-87, coined the phrase Toronto the Good, Toronto has undeniably shed its good moniker and steadily positioned itself as a glamorous world-class city. This dissertation uses glamour as a prism to illustrate how the citys literature, art, fashion, music and film have contributed to Torontos emergence as a cosmopolitan global city. Alongside these art forms, this study uses a comparative analysis to examine how historical and cultural developments such as the construction of Casa Loma, the popularity of the 1926 Miss Toronto pageant, the 1960s counterculture of Yorkville, the celebrity of the Toronto International Film Festival, the aftermath of the 1990s recession and the rise in gentrification have helped to shape a unique expression of glamour for the city. Drawing upon archival materials, primary and secondary sources, and close readings, this dissertation charts a history of glamour in Toronto and demonstrates how Torontonians have continuously negotiated, courted, and challenged the expression of glamour in the city. This history reveals the role gender and sexual orientation have played in the rise of glamour in Toronto and the conditions that shape the way women, in particular, have accessed and experienced glamour in the city. Ultimately, these contexts shed light on the ways in which Torontonians have historically navigated the tensions between glamour and the good.