ABSTRACT
The above paragraph begins a feature called ‘Wife for Pygmalion’ in the October 2001 issue of the Russian women’s magazine Krest’ianka (henceforth K). This four-page illustrated article presents a story of a contemporary Russian family consisting of the father, the mother and their daughter. At the same time it is a representation of family dynamics and a lifestyle in which ‘everything is subordinate to work’. The father is portrayed as the head of the family, a perfectionist in his work and so enthusiastic about enhancing his mastery of plastic surgery that he deserves to be called Pygmalion. According to the article, he focuses on nothing but his work and this even led him to marry his favourite nurse. He considers himself as a mole living in his ‘burrow of surgery’, which is probably why he needs the wife to be his ‘loyal soldier’ capable of keeping things organised both at the practice and home. Meanwhile, their young daughter has to sit at home after school with a dog, because her parents work long hours at the practice and ‘there is no grandmother to look after her’ (K 10, 2001: 12-13) .
