Women vs. Women
Women in the 18th century are similar yet different from the women of today. In the time era of the 1800’s appearance was very essential to women as it is in the present times. Fashion, skin care, and mouth hygiene was and is the three most important forms of appearance and hygiene.
Firstly, Fashion in the 1800’s consisted of high-necked, long sleeve dresses with a corset underneath. A Corset is a lace-up shirt generally bought one or two inches smaller than the woman’ waist size to make the wearer look skinnier. Corsets often were so tight that the woman wearing one would pass out from lack of oxygen. In the 1800’s woman literally died to be thin. Today, woman act the same way; however, the women do not wear corsets, but develop eating disorders or pay for surgery to look more desirably skinnier. Also, they are allowed by law and accepted in the ‘social eye’ to wear pants, dresses, button up shirts, and any other form of clothing they can obtain. Compared to the 1800’s, woman of today have it easier and have more of a choice in fashion, yet act similar becaus...
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
towards African Americans are presented in number of works of scholars from all types of divers
18th and 19th Century Attitudes Towards Women From the author of both sources we can immediately gather that they both relate to middle-class women. Working class women were on the whole illiterate, as they were offered no education, so therefore would not be purchasing, 'The Magazine of Domestic Economy'. For Florence Nightingale to be able to write diaries, this demanded a middle-class upbringing. With the ability of hindsight, we know that Florence Nightingale was a very unusual woman, as the, 'Lady with the Lamp' tendered to many injured soldiers in the Crimean war. Despite experiencing the nurturing into being the 'typical woman', such as attending tea parties and presenting yourself respectably as a lady, she seems bored by this monotonous routine, as suggested when she finishes her entry with the sentence, "And that is all."
During the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, the role of working-class women became a burden to what one would call British National Identity. As one can note from Deborah Valenze’s book The First Industrial Woman, women who began to work in order to support their families were seen as a masculine because they would dress showing more skin. The new evolving identity of working class women became criticized not only by men but also by women of higher economic status. This would eventually lead to the first feminist wave in Britain from 1848 through 1920. This new wave in Britain was a reaction to the way working women had been put down by British society in the earlier period of the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, the ‘gentle lady’ of the Victorian Age became unacceptable, the role that domesticity was the right role to be played by women became a critique. The suffrage movement in many ways led women to embrace a new form of ‘masculinity’ in clothing. The working class woman’s ‘masculinity’ became one to be praised. One can begin to see this at the end of First Feminist wave in the 1920s when the flapper style became the new fashion. Society in Britain had become one of man v. woman, and women retaliated through fashion by adapting masculine style clothing to cover their curvaceous figures. Nevertheless, the Second World War’s impact on society brought with it a new ideology of Britain v. the outside enemy, which brought a revitalization of traditional women roles illustrated by the clothing. The following is an analysis on women’s clothing post the First World War and through the Second World War.
Revolutionary fashions made it acceptable to show more skin, develop different styles, and able for women to express themselves. Women began to liberate themselves from the traditional long hairstyles and turn to the new and short masculine hairdos. “The bob appeared in the US shortly…Women with bobs needed more frequent haircuts, and wanted permanent waves” (Monet). Women began to cut their hair shorter, cringing their hair, and finger waving it. Although many women saw it as outrageous and boyish, many people today have cut their hair the same way and even shorter. It wasn’t permissible for a woman to display her body. Skirts were to be covering their legs all the way down to their ankles. If the skirt d...
Women of 1960’s felt that with their increased independence they should be treated equally. Throughout the 60’s this attitude was shown through protests and the fashion trends of the time. During the 1960’s women wore slim fitting clothing, they also begun to wear miniskirts and other more revealing clothes. This change of fashion was used as a way to empower...
After the 19th amendment was added to the constitution the fashion began to become something important to the women.
...d women’s fashion to break free from convention. Bras and corsets were seen as symbols of oppression and conformity. They were discarded by many women as many new fads appeared,(). Women also exhibited their newfound freedom by wearing traditional male clothing such as baggy trousers, men's jackets, vests, over-sized shirts, ties and hats.
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...
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...
19th-Century Women Works Cited Missing Women in the nineteenth century, for the most part, had to follow the common role presented to them by society. This role can be summed up by what historians call the “cult of domesticity”. The McGuffey Readers does a successful job at illustrating the women’s role in society. Women that took part in the overland trail, as described in “Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey” had to try to follow these roles while facing many challenges that made it very difficult to do so. One of the most common expectations for women is that they are responsible for doing the chore of cleaning, whether it is cleaning the house, doing the laundry.
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
The overall idea of what a women should wear was extremely unpractible, causing women intense sickness and immobility due to things like “tight garters” and “corseted waists” (Riegl 176). Women could not wear loose, practical, comfortable clothes like mens fashion, but were confined to a life of solitude in their own clothing. Women’s fashion created a very large and unneeded burden (Riegl 176). Women felt violated that this uncomfortable and unhealthy way of life was being forced upon them. Eventually women got fed up by these Fashions and a sense of rebellion was triggered in many women. They finally felt they had to do something about the unfair treatment that took too large of a toll on their lives (Riegl 176)
The women of the 19th century had a unique style, very little rights, and hard roles. The waistline was at the natural place. This made the clothes tighter. The skirt shaped to look like a bell. Many types of sleeves were found, but it was common to find long sleeves for night and short sleeves for daytime. Found underneath skirts were feather- quilted petticoats. They supported the skirt. Women would also wear some sort of hat. Outside, they would wear a bonnet; inside, they would wear linen caps. As the 19th century continued, decorations were added to hats. They included birds, feathers, or fake flowers. Also, as the century moved on, pads were worn in the back to support the skirt. For informal dressing, wearing a hat was required. Women could either wear a large- brimmed hat or a straw boater. Skirts were still down to their feet. Their hair was put into a bun either in the back or on top of the head (“Women’s Dress”). The clothes were made with the material of silk, wool, or cotton. Cotton was not used in colored clothing. It was usually woven or put into a pattern. Wool and silk were the opposite; they were colored. It was very rare to see these fabrics woven or in a pattern (“Material”). When the 19th century was around, women have very little rights. At this time, they could not vote nor could they have property or make their own earnings. When it came to divorcing, men took the kids; women were not allowed to have th...
Therefore, in an attempt to both show the gravitas of fashion’s impact and justify its mirroring of times and therefore society, a walkthrough of fashion throughout history and its adaptation is exceedingly appropriate. To begin with, Britain’s Industrial Revolution in the 1850s to 1900s came with the introduction of sewing machines and chemical dyes. However, this movement of clothe manufacturing rendered its availability strictly to the opulent. This is a direct relation to the economical situation of the time, showing that people’s expenses were not directed towards the most up to date fashion i.e. luxury products but rather necessities indicating a slowly developing economy. As we move from the 1900s to the mid 1920s, the inception of the First World War influenced the need for more ‘practical’ garments. To illustrate, one of the greatest designers of the century Paul Poiret, designed his garments in a style known as the Directoire. His dresses were simple straight tube sheaths defining simplicity and exemplifying both the political and economic situation of the times justifying the necessity for a free moving design in clothing. Why adopt the notion of simplicity and free moving garments? Women had to leave their traditional domestic roles and become part of the working class or work force and adopt and replace many roles that were normally given to men. Furthermore, the Great Depression in the 1930s comes to play its own role in fashion history further pushing the necessity for a fashion to be translated to accustom a busier lifestyle. This created an economic gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore, fashion in the 1940s in the substantial sense portrayed the necessity for work and socioeconomic background and furthermore encased the economic situation where, as previous times in the 1900s, high-end fashion was restricted to the rich. Following a chronological timeline comes the