Fashion reflects expansion of women’s roles in society

Rina Factor/ Contributing Writer

Fashion is a form of expression and has long been influenced by women’s place in society.

Gender has long controlled an individual’s role in society as it set certain expectations for men and women. For instance, it was not common among women to wear pants until the 1920s when women began to proliferate in the workplace.

Today, it is just as common to see a woman wearing pants as a man. In fact, today women have adopted the traditional menswear of the pantsuit.

Hillary Clinton is known for donning sharp pantsuits that convey her high status as the former U.S. Secretary of State. It has also often represented society’s attempts to control women and their roles. The Victorian era, 1950s, and religious fashions all reflect a woman’s place in society.

Victorian era fashion is infamous for its corsets which restricted a woman’s movements and constricted her breathing. Corsets in this era were sometimes tight enough to damage a woman’s internal organs.

The 1950s consisted of big skirts that cinched at the waist and then flared out. Clothing styles were very feminine and charming. Women dressed “ladylike,” and conformed to social expectations of the ideal housewife and homemaker.

This was during the time of the Cold War when women were viewed as most efficient in household duties. The bullet bra, for example, was representative of the desire to return to the curvy beauty ideal with voluptuous breasts. These feminine clothing represent the domesticity of women in the fifties.

In Islam and Judaism, fashion is influenced by each religious standard – both of which uphold modesty. While some people view these modesty constraints, such as the hijab, for Muslim women, or the hair covering for Jewish women as oppressive and anti-feminist, many religious women are empowered by their modest fashions.

I remember feeling pressured as a kid to dress like my friends at parties. I would always be the odd one out wearing clothes I bought from a Jewish clothing store that catered to more modest dressers.  

However, I soon appreciated my right to dress exactly how I felt comfortable without worrying about what other people expected from me. Every era has its fashion trends that women are expected to conform to.

It is also every woman’s right to have the decision to dress as she so chooses.

Even today, women are expected to keep up with the trends and look fashionable. It is why it is empowering for women to be able to make their own choices when it comes to fashion. Whether a woman decides to go along with the trends or not is her prerogative.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo by Kris Atomic on Unsplash.