The appearance of the common American women has changed drastically throughout history. Statistically, the reason being is because society and its views are causing women to change themselves as individuals to meet standards that are unreasonable. From the Mid Century of the 1900’s to today, women have strived to be noticed and respected by society; and to be a part of a world with little confidence and many insecurities leads to wanting more and stepping out of the box that society builds to keep traditions alive. After World War II and the devastation of the Great Depression, women of the 1950’s started experimenting with new styles such as fancy skirts, shorts, and the well-known trouser pant (Monet). Women embraced the new look of cinched in dresses/ skirts, and fitted clothing to accentuate the hips and/or chest. A new beginning was taking place as women started wearing more “revealing” clothing to give themselves confidence, with a conservative twist (Monet). During World War II, nylon fabric was used for the production of parachutes. Now with the war over, nylon was now made for women’s clothing. For example: Lingerie, hose, blouses, and even sportswear (Monet). Also, large hoop, skirts often seen in the 1800’s, were trending again in the 1950’s, letting women show off …show more content…
Women wore skirts that were cut at thigh length and longer coats that were to the base of their thigh; hence, the name “thigh high” (Ewing). Along with the “thigh high” look, see through trench coats were popular as well. The naked eye could see through one’s coat to their clothing underneath and valuables in the depths of their pocket (Ewing). The appearance of women and the perspective of them changed immensely when “hot pants” was introduced to the public. “Hot pants” are similar to short shorts we see today. Because society was content with being proper and the traditions behind it, “hot pants” were frowned upon
On the twenty-first of August, our Wearable History class took a trip to downtown Bowling Green, to visit Mosaic Confinement Studio. The studio had an old-fashioned vibe, and was like a vintage-garment haven. There, we were asked to choose a piece that we thought was vintage, identify the time period it actually came from, and also take some additional notes on the style and the garment’s details. After searching through multiple racks, the first piece I found was a lace blazer. It turned out to only be vintage-inspired, so I went searching again. I came across a few other pieces, but nothing was really jumping out at me. Eventually, I came across a lavender dress that immediately made me think of Julia Roberts in “Mystic Pizza”, and I knew I found my garment.
It seems if a woman does not follow what the television or magazines do, they will be considered a ‘disgrace’ to society. “By the 1930’s, mass advertisements on radio and in magazines persuaded women to purchase cosmetic products by appealing to her fear of growing old or being rejected by social acquaintances,” (Gourley 56). The beauty industry specifically targeted women, using the ideas of an often highly feminine related idea of vanity. This also talked about women’s apparel in clothing and how they weren’t able to dress casually since they would be titled, slob. As looks represent a lot in a woman, the body type of a woman has always struggled with maintaining since the ‘perfect’ body types are not what everyone has. “In the 1890’s women had full bosoms, round hips. In actual measurements they were probably no rounder than Miss Cox but they seemed so because they were shorter, tightened their waists into an hour-glass effect … Now, though, the ideal figure must have a round, high bosom, a slim but not wasp-like waist, and gently rounded hips” (“This is What…”). Ideals women that society has pushed onto women to be for them to have any chance in romance. Though many women can drift away from this the women, though they won’t admit to it, had struggled to meet the ‘set standard’ for women. This shows how after women have gained the rights of voting, gender roles
Monet, D. (2011). Women's Fashions of the 1920's - Flappers and the Jazz Age. Retrieved from http://www.doloresmonet.hubpages.com/hub/WomensFashionsofthe1920-FlappersandtheJazz-Age
...dia of Clothing and Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 88-89. U.S. History in Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Through the1960’s the boyish androgynous figure was once again becoming popular. Women were starting to be treated equally to men as they now had ‘greater independence, better qualifications and far wider employment opportunities than their predecessors, the little-girl ideal of the 1960’s endured, expressing the protest of women against their relegation to inferior roles in society and their treatment as sex objects’ (Thesander, M. 1997. p. 180). Women wanted to be liberated and to feel that they are equal to men so they no longer wanted to wear tight fitting lingerie and outer-wear garments.
New fashions were surfacing in both men’s and women’s fashions. Men were wearing Bermuda pants, baggy pants that were cut off at the knee, while women were wearing capris, tight pants that cut off just below the knee. Men were wearing tailored jackets and making a slight move towards the casual dress of today’s workplace. Women were wearing natural shoulders as opposed to the heavily padded ones of the war years. Flat, neck-hugging collars replaced the mannish collars of the late 1940’s. Waists were tightly fitted and skirts were long (Melinkoff 46). The jeans of the time were often lined with plaid flanel and dungarees were worn to the most casual occasions. The sandals of the fifties were not much different than the sandals of today.
Throughout the history of the United States, women have struggled to gain independence, fighting first for gender equality and later for equal rights. Their efforts and changing roles are reflected in changes in fashion over time.
Women used to dress very conservatively and strict before the turn of the decade. Clothing consisted of fitted dresses, long skirts, and corsets in lady like manners. Since the 1920’s brought women’s rights along, young women decided that they were not willing to waste away their young lives anymore being held down to the rules; they were going to enjoy life. The younger generations of women were breaking away from their old habits and their fashion statements changed their roles in society completely. Women were modeling their lives after popular icons...
Society plays a big role in how people perceive their body image. Everyone has their own definition of body image, but it is simply one’s logic or ideal image of what one's body is or should be like (Dictionary.com, 2015). Females of all ages have high standards in society. Even though social expectations do not dictate that women change themselves, the media effects body image by giving us an image to strive to be. Sometimes this image is unrealistic. Over the past 100 years, body image has evolved. Each decade a new body image and style of how the ‘perfect’ female is supposed to look changes.
Womens- When WW2 ended the threads and fabrics that were previously insufficient, became suddenly available, this allowed a new era of fashion to be created. With this abundance of goods, fashion bloomed, using an overload of fabrics. This had the biggest effect on women's dresses. The dresses had fabulous collars, puffed up petticoats, plenty of pleats, and complex designs. These dresses were all made up of the best wool, nylon, taffeta, leather, and rayon. The clothing style in the 1950’s became a big part of the culture, as it displayed one's standing in society, and also became a way to demonstrate individuality.
In the early 1900’s the ideal woman would be dressed with long dresses and would normally have long hair. Several events such as World War I, in July of 1914, changed women’s role in society. They were not only taking care of the children and the household but they were also taking the role of a man. As men went to war, women replaced them in factories. This caused woman to be more independent. Women realized that having a job was something that could be done; their sex didn’t restrict them from taking this action. This was extremely important as it lead to women being more confident and capable. In the 1920s young women began to change. They went from having long dresses and long hair, to a short haircut and wearing dresses that were above the knee. Women developed a greater interest in looking attractive. According to Russell L. Johnson, the beauty industry grew rapidly as cosmetic expenses sky rocketed from 750 million to 2 billion dollars (Johnson 3). This was one of the causes of the sexual revolution. Women became “ less formal but more expressive (Mag...
Women in today’s society seem to be having a very difficult time expressing themselves without dealing with lots of criticism. Common values are standing in the way of women’s drive toward molding themselves into whatever they desire. Our culture has made standards about how should women look, act, and conduct themselves that greatly limits what they can do, and still gain respect. Martin S. Fiebert and Mark W. Meyer state that, “[there are] more negative [gender] stereotypes for men than for women.” This idea doesn’t seem to have a great amount of validity in our present society. Society set certain standards that men are supposed to live up to such as strength and confidence, which are more behavioral characteristics. Women seem to be more trapped than men by societies standards because they are supposed to live up to standards dealing with beauty and size, which are more physical characteristics These specific guidelines have been set by society that are sometimes unattainable for a majority of women. The women that follow the specific criteria are greatly respected, and the ones that try and be innovative usually are criticized if not disliked.
Lawson, David "History Of Renaissance Clothing - How Today's Fashion Is Affected." 6 Jul. 2011 EzineArticles.com. 16 Nov. 2011
To start this essay, it will introduce the evaluation of the first significant revolution of dressing style in 1960s. A famous designer called Mary Quant created mini-skirts and it becomes the most popular fashion style around that decade (Tracy Tolkien., 2002).
6. Hammond, Colleen. "Dressing with Dignity - History of Women's Fashion Industry - How to Fight Sexual Revolution and Immodesty in Dress!" N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.