Objective:
To analyze the meaning of the uniform in the implementation of the Anglo-American model of nursing and in the construction of a new identity of the nursein Brazil.
Methods:
Socio-historical study. Primary sources: written and photographic documents were analyzed according to the concept of professional identity by Claude Dubar, and were integrated with the theory of Roland Barthes, who considers the clothing as an abstract language with symbolic representations.
Results:
The uniform was an element of social distinction and hierarchical differentiation, and it approached the Brazilian and American nursing students by the similarities in their clothing, that is, by the image constructed with the same elements of the uniform, among which the white dress of the nurses, white apron for students and white cap for both of them stood out.
Conclusion:
The uniform was a strategy for the implementation and recognition of the Anglo-American model of nursing and for the construction of a new identity for nurses in Brazil.
History of Nursing; Clothing; Education Nursing
