Feminist Influence On Fashion

What does it mean to be a feminist and what effect does it have on fashion?

Being a feminist means that you believe everyone is entitled to freedom and equality and that gender doesn’t define who you are. There have been three waves of the feminist movement, all which have played a part in women gaining more rights and lead to the decrease of restrictions on women’s clothing. People often believe that being a feminist means you are against men but this is not the case. Neither men or women have the benefit of equality. Throughout this essay I am going to be discussing why people should not be discriminated based on gender and how feminism has had an effect on fashion.

The first wave feminist movement took place during the 19th century to the

This wave broadened the range of issues to sexuality, the workplace, women of colour and working class. The birth control pill was made available in 1961 meaning women could have careers and didn’t have to leave due to pregnancy. During the 60’s there was a lot of change for the fashion industry. Fashion was influenced by many factors such as social mobility, music and ethnic clothes, one of the biggest factors was feminism. Prior to the 60’s it was not acceptable for women to wear trousers, it wasn’t until after Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Le Smoking’ pants that trousers became more acceptable. Laurent wasn’t the first person to design trousers for women but he was the first to draw attention from the fashion industry and the public. It was the start of the androgynous style which is the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics. Pant suits have been worn ever since, today the style is an interesting alternative to the ‘Little Black dress’, but it is more than that; it’s a statement for women. It shows that people are free to dress how they want and gender doesn’t define

The whole idea of feminism is to be equal so why wouldn’t men have as much right as women to be feminist? Feminism isn’t just for women, it’s not the name that matters it’s the ideas and beliefs. Originally it was aimed at women, women were seen as inferior to men and it wasn’t until women started to fight for their rights that things started to change. Today women have come a long way and are no longer controlled by men but there is still not equality. It is often thought that being feminist means you are against men, but this is not the case, feminism effects both men and women. Neither man or woman has equality. Men are made to feel insecure because of the traits that society associate with male success. The idea that a man should be strong, confident and should be in control. Men are encouraged not to show emotion from a young age so that they are not seen as weak. No one should feel pressured to act or feel a certain way. Both men and women should be free to be whoever they want, if a man wants to be sensitive and a woman wants to be strong they should be able to do so without being discriminated. Traditionally women are seen as the housewives and even today it is still considered more natural for women to say at home and look after the children. Stay at home dads are seen as week, therefore men are discouraged from