White Wings
The White Wings are the most distinctive and oppressive element of the Handmaid's uniform, a rigid white headdress that frames the face like a horse's blinkers. Issued by the regime along with the red dress, red gloves, and red shoes, the wings are described as "prescribed issue" and serve a dual purpose: "they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen" . This paradoxical function—simultaneously blinding the wearer and rendering her anonymous—makes the wings a central instrument of Gilead's control over the Handmaids' bodies and perceptions.
Design and Function
The White Wings are not merely a veil but a stiff, structured apparatus that projects forward from the head, creating a tunnel of cloth that narrows the wearer's field of view. Offred notes that "given our wings, our blinkers, it's hard to look up, hard to get the full view, of the sky, of anything" . The wings force the Handmaid to see the world "in gasps," in quick, furtive movements of the head . This physical restriction is a deliberate design: it prevents the Handmaid from making eye contact, from scanning her surroundings freely, and from being recognized. When Offred drops her head and turns so that "the white wings hide my face" after Nick winks at her, she is enacting the wings' intended function—erasing her individual identity and preventing any unauthorized communication .
Symbol of Modesty and Invisibility
The wings are the physical embodiment of the regime's doctrine of female modesty. Aunt Lydia's maxim, "Modesty is invisibility," is literally enforced by the headdress . The wings make the Handmaid "impenetrable," as Aunt Lydia instructs, by hiding her face and preventing others from seeing her expression or recognizing her as an individual . Offred reflects that the wings reduce her to a "shape, red with white wings around the face," a generic figure interchangeable with any other Handmaid . This enforced anonymity is a form of social death: the Handmaid is visible only as a function, not as a person.
Daily Life and Routine
The wings are worn whenever the Handmaid leaves her room, even within the Commander's house. Offred notes that "the white headdress isn't necessary for the evening, because I won't be going out. Everyone in this house knows what my face looks like" . This exception underscores the wings' primary purpose: they are for public spaces, where the Handmaid must be rendered anonymous and non-individual. The wings are part of the daily ritual of dressing, a routine that reinforces the Handmaid's subjugation. Offred describes putting on the red gloves "finger by finger" and then adjusting the wings, a process that transforms her from a person into a prescribed role .
Psychological and Physical Burden
The wings are not merely symbolic but impose a tangible physical and psychological burden. They restrict movement, making it difficult to look around or to see the sky fully. The constant pressure of the cloth against the face and the limited field of vision create a sense of claustrophobia and disorientation. Offred's description of learning "to see the world in gasps" suggests a profound alteration of perception, a fragmentation of experience that mirrors the fragmentation of her identity under Gilead . The wings also prevent the Handmaid from making eye contact with others, isolating her even when she is in public. This enforced isolation is a key mechanism of control, preventing the formation of bonds or the exchange of information.
Resistance and Subversion
Despite their oppressive function, the wings also become a site of subtle resistance. Offred uses the wings to hide her face when she does not want to be seen, as when she turns away from the Japanese tourists . The wings can also be used to conceal small acts of defiance, such as the furtive glances and whispered conversations between Handmaids during their walks. The wings' very structure, which forces the wearer to turn her head to see, can be exploited: a quick movement of the head allows a glimpse of something forbidden, a momentary breach in the regime's visual control. The wings, designed to make the Handmaid invisible, also provide a shield behind which she can observe and, occasionally, act.
The Butter Ritual and the Body
The wings are part of a larger system of bodily regulation that includes the prohibition on hand lotion and face cream. Offred describes how she and other Handmaids use butter to keep their skin soft, a private ritual of self-care that defies the regime's decree that "the outside can become hard and wrinkled, for all they care, like the shell of a nut" . This ritual, learned at the Red Center, is a way of maintaining a sense of self and hope: "As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire" . The wings, which hide the face, and the butter, which softens the skin, represent two opposing forces: the regime's attempt to erase the individual and the Handmaid's stubborn assertion of her own humanity.
