The Role of Women in Changing Fashion Trends - Case Study Example

English Reactions to Changing Female Fashions in the 1920s The end of the First World War was a revolution time for most people in various industries. One of the changes reported during this period was the change in female fashion. Women’s fashion changed tremendously during this period for a variety of reasons. The reactions to these changes were not all that suitable, and for others, the 1920s were the rise of the promiscuity era. Prior to this era, female fashion was beyond conservative (Arnstein 895). It was restraining, however, the end of the Great War, spelt change in the female fashion sense in all ways possible. From the celebration of the end of the war, to the coming of bicycles as the new source of transportation, these changes had an influence on the overall definition of fashion, particularly for the women. The end for the world war resulted in a variety of issues. Primarily, most women during this era were windowed with their husbands dying in the world war and as such, they had to create new ways to make a living. Additionally, most material supply channels were constricted and the supply of cotton and wool equally reduced marginally. As such, the absence of material and the development of synthetic materials also created a forefront for the changing of female and male fashion. Due to insufficient fabric supply, the freedom of fashion designers began to emerge during this period which thus resulted in increased levels of expressionism using the clothes developed especially for women. The end of the war, which brought prosperity to America, resulted in more women seeking professional jobs with the birth of the stock market. Additionally morality and conservatism became a relaxed field since people became more optimistic. This led to the emergence of female suits and the reduction of women sizes for dresses which thus saw a major transition in the fashion world. The introduction of silk as a luxurious fabric also led to the development of more expensive clothing. Luxurious clothing thus called for increased creativity among dress developers in the country, and the world as a whole. One of the sources of change in the dress code of women was the invention of the bicycle and sporting events using horses that now encompassed women as well. Athletics was the key source of change in women fashion trends, since women dresses now had to be altered to fit their new sporting experience. Horsewoman’s attires were mainly developed to be effective during riding, which thus led to the emergence of the female trouser or pants, which would enable them ride more efficiently. Each equestrian discipline decided the esoteric regulations governing the dress code of women (Goodrum 87). These organizations developed the contemporary freedoms and imposed constraints on women dress codes. The regulation was mostly imposed by male counterparts who set these regulations in compliance to the set morals that governed people back then. Conservatism, with a little bit of freedom was the reaction from most adult owners of the various equestrian groups during this period. In addition to horse riding as a sport and its popularity during the era, cycling and bicycles had led to a new transition in time which thus saw multiple organizations not only make the dress codes change for women. Bulky clothes for instance did not facilitate easy cycling and this thus largely affected women who then created new fashion trends to accommodate the bicycle as a mode of transportation. Prior to using bicycles, women were expected to stay at home and guard their sexual purity, but the bicycle did the complete opposite. Women fashion changed from the "heavy skirts to shorter skirts, loosened corsets and bloomer costumes" (Christie-Robin, Orzada and Lo ́ pez-Gydosh 317). Though advocated for by most scholars, a majority of the opponents were largely opposed to the alteration of the dresses to fit the sporting dress code. However, what seemed as sporty dressing for most women, turned out to be a fashion trend that spread through the United States greatly. This revolution was not only received in the western states but its reputation extended to other areas within the world such as Africa. The change in dressing codes in Africa for instance was mostly reinforced by the western visitors whose visitation to the countries led or spanned an aspect of fashion modification among various African States. The imitation of the colonizers was one of the key things that sparked reactions among African states, with a study on Tanganyika indicating the creative appropriation of western clothes by urban youths (Suriano 95). The reaction from the youths in the transition of the fashion sense was not only positive but it was also assimilated by most youths all over the world. The youth had positive reactions to the changes in fashion and the assimilation rate among feminist women and youths in colleges resulted to the enactment of the era as one of the most diverse eras in the period. One of the key ways through which this appropriation was improved was through the colleges in America and most western countries. The fashion revolution was heightened by college women during this era. As indicated, feminism and the changes in the optimism levels of Americans and people from victorious states grew marginally which thus saw women introduced more fashion dress codes. Regardless, most organizations controlled the expressionism of fashion through advocating for appropriateness, modesty and good taste in fashion (Cleave 4). The reactions from the media however were not as positive as was the case among most people who appreciated the great taste in fashion sense. The dress code was thus an expression of the change in gender roles. More women were going to colleges and assuming more professional jobs. From most male conservatives, the change in the female fashion sense and the introduction of new fashion trends was a disbursement of roles, where some were quoted viewing the transition as negative. For instance, one of common opposition responses were forwarded on a film that critiqued the change arguing that women fashion change was misguided. "Change your clothes and you change your sex" was a common phrase during the era, which was indicated in a film critique presented by Anne Kuhn’s dictum (Doan 665). The suits which were seen as masculine dress codes, where mostly associated with homosexual women, who back then was the common view of feminists. The dress code which emphasized on women freedom of expression, which equally translated to female freedom in both the professional and political sense was one of the key derivatives of the fashion revolution of the 1920s. The change in women and men appearance during the era, which made women more masculine and a number of men more masculine in the religious context and reactions was not all that pleasant (Carstens 62). In fact, the opposition to the change in fashion, despite the fact that it was relatively conservative as compared to contemporary dress codes and styles, was from the conservative populace of the country, be it religion or politics. The fashion transition was viewed to inspire unwomanly pursuits, which equally transitioned into sex reversal. This level of negativism presented by most critics bore had little if any impact on the youths mainly used this as a platform to express themselves in ways they found fit as opposed to the religious constraints set by their preceding generations. Feminism created a platform for women to express themselves using relatively hyped fashion senses. From the introduction of new dress codes, women fashion in the 1920s also extended to their short hair. The ankle dresses and the short suits worked more efficiently with short hair, which thus promoted most women to reduce their hair lengths. Previously women grew their hair long to their waists but with the introduction of this new fashion sense the hair were grown extremely short (Hillman 155). This trend was known as the Bubikopf or the bob hair, which was highly popularized during this era. The changes in women fashion resulted in the change in hair style, the emergence of weaves and the introduction of successful salons (1920 – 1930s, " 1920s Women’s Fashions and Changing Lifestyles"). The unfeminine presentation from women during the era was not well received by antifeminists, both male and female. The change in hair styles for instance was one of the largely opposed features about the fashion change because it gave women a masculine look (Sutton 29). For inventors and educators, the fashion revolution of the 1920s was one of the best things that happened to the United States and the world as a whole. Prior to this period, most people conformed to existing structure, which thus led to the development of fashion that was common to all. However, this era promoted creativity which saw countless organizations not only embrace their creative senses but which also saw a global transition in the thoughts presented by people. Fashion design as a discipline was majorly cultivated during this period. Quilts for instance were the most creative aspects of the era. Colorful schemes and patterns that were representative of the optimism held by people and as a way to celebrate victory of the Americans in the war and again the success of the organization in presenting new ideas was a key feature highlighted during this era (Hanson 139). More women were seeking fashion as a way to create their own clothing at reduced prices and turned it to full time jobs, from pass time hobbies (University of Vermont “Women’s Clothing"). The clothing styles that were largely appreciated during this era were mainly oriental or exotic. Original ideas were expressed through fashion and the improvement of fashion was not only viewed in a positive light but also was largely appreciated by most buyers. The reaction from buyer was to embrace the new trend and use it to their advantage to derive more fascination and happiness for the dresses they created. Decorative art inspired even the furniture and the architecture (Hanson 141). Fashion not only positively influenced women’s politics and gender role on equality but also motivated other areas to change their perspectives and way of thinking. Contemporary dressing is all attributable to the 1920s. The change in the fashion preferences from people was one of the key motivators of change in women fashion from the then conservative nature to the currently fashionable lifestyles adopted by a majority. The role of women in changing the fashion trends was motivated by a number of features and faced great opposition and equally greater support from the media, the people and the alteration of laws. The changes were not mainly opposed due to the fact that they were less conservative, but rather due to the change in gender roles which was presented by the freedom of design and dressing. Regardless, in the absence of this era, the current freedom in dressing would not have been achieved in the absence of this era. As such, besides motivating feminism, gender equality and other suchlike feature, the fashion revolution of the 1920s brought an indispensable trait in manufacturing, which was creativity. Works Cited Goodrum, Alison L. "A Severity of Plainness: The Culture of Female Riding Dress in America during the 1920S and 1930S." Annals of Leisure Research 15.1 (2012): 87-105. Print. Suriano, Maria. "Clothing and the Changing Identities of Tanganyikan Urban Youths, 1920S-1950S." Journal of African Cultural Studies 20.1 (2008): 95-115. Print. Van Cleave, Kendra. "Fashioning the College Woman: Dress, Gender, and Sexuality at Smith College in the 1920S." Journal of American Culture 32.1 (2009): 4-15. Print. Doan, Laura. "Passing Fashions: Reading Female Masculinities in the 1920S." Feminist Studies 24.3 (1998): 663 -675. Print. Hillman, Betty Luther. "The Clothes I Wear Help Me To Know My Own Power." Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 34.2 (2013): 155-185. Print. Hanson, Marin F. "Exotic Quilt Patterns and Pattern Names in the 1920S and 1930S." Textile: The Journal of Cloth & Culture 4.2 (2006): 138-163. Print. Carstens, Lisa. "Unbecoming Women: Sex Reversal in the Scientific Discourse on Female Deviance in Britain, 1880-1920." Journal of the History of Sexuality 20.1 (2011): 62-94. Print. Christie-Robin, Julia, Belinda T. Orzada, and Dilia López-Gydosh. "From Bustles to Bloomers: Exploring The Bicycles Influence On American Womens Fashion, 1880-1914." Journal Of American Culture 35.4 (2012): 315-331. Print. Goldberg, David J. "Rethinking the 1920S: Historians and Changing Perspectives." OAH Magazine of History 21.3 (2007): 7-10. Print. Arnstein, Walter L. "Conservatism and British Foreign Policy, 1820-1920: The Derbys and Their World." Historian 75.4 (2013): 895-897. Print. Sutton, Katie. "The Masculinized Female Athlete in Weimar Germany." German Politics & Society 27.3 (2009): 28-49. Print. 1920-1930.com. 1920s women fashion. 1920-30s.com, 2012. Web. May 5, 2014. University of Vermont. Womens Clothing. UVM, 2011. Web. May 5, 2014. Glamour Daze. 1920′s Fashion – Women’s Dress and Style. Glamour Daze, May 6, 2010. Web. May 5, 2014. < http://glamourdaze.com/2010/05/1920s-fashion-womens-dress-and-style.html> Read More