Fans of The Testaments may have missed the sinister meaning behind the Aunts' names in the Disney Plus series. The sequel to The Handmaid's Tale is now streaming, with five episodes available for binge-watching. It follows a new generation of women living under Gilead's oppressive rule.
The Story of Agnes and Daisy
The narrative centers on Agnes (Chase Infiniti), the biological daughter of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) from The Handmaid's Tale. Raised in Gilead, Agnes is content with the brutal system until new resident Daisy (Lucy Halliday) joins Aunt Lydia's (Ann Dowd) school for wives. Daisy, however, is secretly a spy working with June and Mayday agents to overthrow Gilead.
How Do Aunts Get Their Names?
The Aunts in The Testaments are named after commercial products popular among women before Gilead's rise. Margaret Atwood's novels reveal that the founding commanders introduced this tradition to ease the transition into Gilead. Each Aunt selects a name from a list of product names that are "familiar and reassuring," including cosmetics, cake mixes, frozen desserts, and medicinal remedies.
This explains unique names like Aunt Estee (Eva Foote), derived from Estee Lauder, and Aunt Gabbana (Zarrin Darnell-Martin), from Dolce & Gabbana.
Warning: Mild spoilers for The Testaments novel follow.
These brand names hold meaning only for older generations in Gilead. In the novel, main character Becka (Mattea Conforti) becomes an Aunt and learns about the "approved list" of names. Atwood writes: "Becka said the names were made from the names of products women had liked once and would be reassured by, but she herself did not know what those products were. Nobody our age knew, she said." Since Becka and Agnes were raised in Gilead, they lack connection to these gender-specific brand names.
The Testaments is streaming now on Disney Plus.
