Feminist fashion? Yes, it’s a thing. Today’s guest post from Olivia spotlights feminist fashion trends that have changed how we “see” women. It’s a powerful reminder that the fashion industry can impact far more than just what we put over our skin. Here’s Olivia.
On Feminist Fashion Trends and Female Empowerment
Women have changed the world through their countless contributions in literature, business, education, cinema, and society in general. From being the suffragettes to becoming the voice of the #metoo movement, women have come a long way to secure their rights in society.
Fashion is a way women have pushed forward the message of women empowerment. With feminist fashion, women have taught the world that style is more than just a way of life, and it can be a catalyst of change. From the bloomer dress and miniskirts to little black dress and pantsuits, female fashion has undergone a transformation and helped women express their agenda of liberty and freedom.
Below, let’s look back at the defining moments in the history of feminist fashion.
1. Moving Forward from Conservative Dresses
Women’s fashion was primarily influenced by styles of the Edwardian era with modest and conservative dresses. Then in the 1850s (the time when feminism first really took off), the “Bloomer Dress” or the “Freedom Dress” was introduced by a group of suffragettes.
The reason the Freedom Dress became one of the feminist fashion trends was that Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony (shown in the top photo) tirelelessly promoted them. They did so because they believed it was freer and comfier than other styles, which helped females move about with ease.
Many women started wearing these dresses not only to support the Susan B. Anthony and other standout females at the time but also for the comfort factor. Doing so drove feminist clothes to the next level.
2. The Miniskirt Trend
When the miniskirt arrived on the fashion scene, it was a major tranformer for feminist fashion forever. A short skirt with a hemline above the knee was edgy for the time. This piece of clothing is often 20-30 cm higher than the knee.
When first introduced, the miniskirt stood out as indicative of independent, empowered fashion. It was even more so one to include on this list of feminist fashion trends as some criticisms received on the miniskirt was that it exploited women.
As for who designed the miniskirt, there’s different thoughts on this one. Many people believe its style was heavily influenced by British designer Mary Quant and French designer André Courrèges in the 1960s. Then name Mary gave the miniskirt stuck, by the way – She named it after her favorite car The Mini.
What had begn for Mary as a rebellion against conservatism, the miniskirt was hugely popular. It was arguably the biggest thing on the style scene that decade. Around the same time, swimsuits emigrated from France and bikinis became the talk of the town in America.
3. The Powerful Pantsuits
The 1960s was the decade when revealing dresses were popular among women. And then miniskirts married to pantsuits and became the power suits for working women.
In the spring of 1964, the French designer André Courrèges – yes the miniskirt influencer, same person! – launched a women’s version of the classic office pant and suit. In the years that followed, it became the official dress for the working women and cemented their authority in the corporate world.
Carol Moseley Braun and Barbara Mikulski are credited with popularizing the pantsuit in American politics when they started wearing them during the sessions in the Senate. But it wasn’t until Hillary Clinton wore the outfit that it got the global recognition.
It was after this dress that women made a strong presence in the corporate world and worked shoulder to shoulder with the men.
4. The Unisex Era
As shades of boyish fashion were added into female style, it unleashed a new wave: A unisex fashion trend. Women started wearing new types of clothes that resembled the clothing styles of men. They included clothing items like button-down shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. The idea was to break the shackles of discrimination in the clothing in terms of gender.
The fashion today has become more androgynous, and it no longer has the shades of sexism. The ripped jeans, t-shirts decorated with custom patches of feminist messages, short and bob cut hairstyles rock feminist fashion trends.
The above four trends once changed the attitudes of people towards women. And they will continue to influence the current and future fashion trends for years.
About Today’s Writer
Olivia Jones is an artist by passion and a blogger by profession. She has a fascination for nature and captures it in her artworks. In addition, she is an avid reader and likes to read books on fashion, lifestyle, self-improvement and travel. She also likes photography and capturing shots of natural sceneries.
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