Women and What They Wore: Fashion and Feminism in the 21st Century
I graduated from college last summer, but I have yet to have publicly shared my senior thesis. It should come as no great shock that my thesis covered the topic of fashion. I hope that it is a beneficial read. Please pardon the technical aspects of this paper; I was instructed to adhere to a certain set of structural rules. Big thanks to Nikki A. Johnson for collaborating with me on these photographs!
Abstract Twentieth century women’s fashion and the way in which women were socially regarded during the 20th century share a distinct correlation. Focusing on the 1920s-1960s, this liberal arts capstone project focuses on the relationship between clothing and the way in which the women who wore this clothing were viewed. This project provides answers to a series of questions related both to women’s fashion and the way in which women were viewed through the different decades of the 20th century. This project also sheds light on the different ways in which women’s fashion changed throughout the decades of the 20thcentury and how views on women subsequently changed and fluctuated. Additionally, I personally demonstrate the points I seek to prove in this project via a creative series of photographs inspired by vintage fashion plates.
Man or woman, boy or girl, we all wear clothes. Here in 21st-century America, garments are often viewed from an average standpoint as shield against the elements and a wearable and functional component of life. Fashion aficionados and chic boutiques hawk and purchase the latest new trends, but for those of us who choose to do so, fashion can remain ignored and unimportant in the background of our lives. Historically however, clothing has not only stood for practical purposes, but for purposes regarding social customs pertaining to gender issues. A look at past centuries of fashion most certainly sheds light on this topic, but a slightly more recent era provides the reader with a more understandable and relevant view. An overview of 20th-century fashion, ranging from the 1920s-1970s will help the reader to understand how clothing directly correlates to the social status of women. Fashion and the roles of women are a directly and intimately related.
How, in fact, do clothing styles relate to the way in which a woman is viewed? In order to answer this question, we must first explore the potential answers to several other questions. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20th century? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing styles of clothing during the 20th century?
Since I was fourteen years old, I have had an intimate and personal love affair with vintage 20th century clothing. Up until recently, I possessed this passion simply for surface reasons: I genuinely prefer the theatrical and flamboyant aspects of older clothing compared to modern fashion, I appreciate the higher quality and craftsmanship of vintage pieces, and I can financially invest in expensive pieces that will only increase in value as time passes. However, as the years rolled by and I opened an online vintage clothing shop, I began to constantly compare and contrast the clothing styles of years gone by with contemporary fashions. Not only is it important for me to be familiar with vintage clothing in an intrinsic sense, but it would be detrimental to my career not to possess a “big picture” knowledge of these fashions along with the women who originally wore them. Additionally, it is my goal to convey this important knowledge to other vintage aficionados in my field of industry.
The aforementioned list of sub-questions are discussed and answered by decade: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Each section focuses on answering the sub-questions in relation to a particular decade. Each decade section is accompanied by a photograph in which I myself model a typical ensemble (complete with authentic hair and makeup) from that particular decade, visually showing the way in which women were socially viewed during that decade.
The only technical term that comes to mind that readers might misunderstand is the term “vintage clothing”. In this context, vintage clothing denotes clothing that is between one hundred and twenty years old. However, we are choosing to focus on the 1920s-1970s, which means the clothing will range from ninety to thirty years old. Any further unfamiliar fashion terms foreign to the average reader will be immediately explain.
All in all, I hope that this peek into the past is both educational and enjoyable to the reader. As different decades are addressed and different views of women unfold, it is my hope that the reader will gain a deeper appreciation for the past as well as an appreciation for the more open-minded fashion sense of the present. This project is meant to inform the reader both regarding an often-neglected sector of feminism and an often-neglected sector of fashion.
Changes in 20th century fashion can be witnessed purely through the physical experience of walking into a vintage clothing store and examining pieces of clothing that are drastically different from one another. However, the importance of such mere physical and material changes and their relation to the way in which women are socially viewed can be better explained through the eyes of informative and educational literature. Historians and fashionistas alike have written countless volumes discussing the changing styles in women’s fashion. These works can reveal to the reader on a deeper level the subtler connotations of fashion and how they directly relate to the way in which women were expected to act and live in the various decades of the 20th century. Prior to the 1920s, women’s fashion had primarily focused on the natural curves of the female body. Take a look at any pre 20thcentury painting and you will see an emphasis on the breasts, hips, and general womanly roundness of the female form. However, the 1920s focused on a more streamlined, drop-waisted silhouette with an emphasis on plunging necklines and backs (Blackman 9). One of the chief goals of fashion designers during the 1920s was to “create an androgynous dress code that would broaden the discussion of the relationship between the sexes” (Buxbaum 32). Although fashion was by no means masculine, the focus had shifted from the feminine body underneath the clothes to female person wearing the clothes. Women did not have to possess a traditional feminine body type in order to be regarded as beautiful or attractive. This new style of clothing both physically and socially liberate women as society accepted a new era of feminine independence (Blackman 11).
The 1929 Stock Market crash not only affected America in a big picture sense, but also smaller tangents of culture like fashion. Instead of the lavish frivolity and impracticality of the 1920s, women of the 1930s had to rely on classic wardrobe staples and clothing styles to guide them through this time of national depression. (Some of the most destitute women were even forced to fashion frocks made from old feeding sacks.) Parisian designer Elsa Schiaparelli forefronted the trends of the 1930s with her architecturally strong yet femininely flattering clothing styles (Blackman 70). Fellow Parisian designer Madeleine Vionnet invented the iconic Depression-era bias cut, a clothing style that possessed both the feminine drapery and subtle elegance and strength of the Middle Ages (Blackman 71). The bias clothing styled helped to emphasis the quiet strength, power, and no-frills practicality that a woman was expected to possess while our country was faced with such a tremulous state of affairs.
An exact decade after the beginning of the Great Depression, World War II spread its vast wings of chaos over the globe in 1939. Practicality and war-time rations predominated over the allure of Parisian fashion and women began to more regularly frequent American designers like Hattie Carnegie (Wilcox 32). An emphasis was put on wide shoulders and slim skirts, with the sole touch of frivolity giving way to memorable and outrageous hats. However, after France was freed from Nazi clutches in 1944 the fashion world once again turned heads towards the extravagant and bold designs of gay Paree, most notably that of Christian Dior (Wilcox 39). His designs combined the sharp elegance and practicality of the war-time fashions with a luxurious abundance of post-war fabrics and materials. Silhouettes gradually became more feminine with fuller skirts, yet accompanied by crisp jackets and accessories (Wilcox 40). Women were slowly nudged out of their cocoon of War-time practicality and back into a world where extravagant fashion dominated the runways and department stores.
Paying homage to the styles of Christian Dior, the post-war fashions of the 1950s focused on femininity and luxury. Products and materials were made readily available to the public and American fashion became more commercialized with the emergence of the boutique (Wilcox 52). “Ladylike” accessories like hats, purses, and gloves were not only popular in terms of fashion, but constituted social acceptance and status (Buxbaum 78). A woman was not considered to be properly dressed if her ensemble lacked the proper gloves and hat. Social traditions veered back into Victorian-era territory where a woman’s reputation was severely put on the line provided that her wardrobe was not in tip-top order. While the 1920s produced a wild and rebellious sense of frivolity in fashion, the 1950s catered to a feminine side of overindulgence, impracticality, and a focus on a narrow and blanketed aspect of womanhood.
The fashions of the 1960s were a direct retaliation against the fashions and traditional moral values of the 1950s. Young people “questioned the status quo, rebelled against authority and expressed their antipathy towards the ‘Establishment’ through their dress, in the process of adopting uniforms of their own” (Blackman 166). Silhouettes became more streamlined and hemlines rose to a sky high shortness, mimicking the styles of the 1920s but with a harder and more modern edge. Practicality was sacrificed for rebellious youthful statements, coming to fruition in the vein of paper dresses, miniskirts, cellophane blouses, and platform shoes (Strodder 55).
An overview of the above depicts the various ways in which fashion relates to the social aspects of women during the 20thcentury. From the drop waisted dresses and bob haircuts of the 1920s, to the mod mini dresses and rebel spirit of the 1960s, it is obvious that fashion is not a simple expression of what hangs in one’s closet. Fashion represents the way in which others view us and in the way in which we view ourselves.
As was mentioned at the beginning of this study, this capstone project focuses on answering a series of related questions. How do clothing styles relate to the way in which a woman is viewed? In order to answer this question, a series of sub questions must first be answered. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20thcentury? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing style of the clothing during the 20thcentury? Although this is a creative project, certain elements of research must be incorporated into this study. Since the primary purpose of this study is to compare and contrast elements of fashion with elements of feminism, this project can be almost automatically placed in the correlational research design department.
For this project, I have used book sources as the primary elements of research design. Some of the books I have used have correlational research in and of themselves where they make their own comparisons and contrasts with fashion and feminism. Other works of literature focus simply on fashion elements. Either way, I have utilized both types of literature to make my own correlational comparisons and contrasts for my capstone project. Further continuation of the reading of this assignment will reveal a creative project in which I personally demonstrate the various ways in which feminism and fashion are related, hence showing such aforementioned correlation in “real life.”
My first of three sub questions concerns how women were socially and historically viewed throughout the 20thcentury. This question is primarily answered through methods of research. Seeing as this question concerns history (and I am unfortunately not in the current possession of a time machine) I can’t really complete a personal or creative project on it, as it relies on information typically found through research. Consultation of the previously mentioned book research methods is used to answer this question.
My second of three sub questions concerns how women’s clothing styles have changed over the various decades of the 20th century, focusing on the 1920s-1960s. While research of informative literature is most assuredly helpful in answering this question, a more interesting aspect of providing an answer is through the means of a personal modeling project. In my project, I have included a series of pictures in which I model an outfit from each decade, complete with authentic vintage clothing and period appropriate hair and makeup. Through these photos, I will attempt to convey a concept of authentic vintage fashion to the reader.
My third of three sub questions concerns the way in which the changing views of women relate directly to the changing styles of clothing during the 20th century. This question is answered via the aforementioned modeling project, but in a slightly different aspect. Through my conveyance of the clothing styles, I have also attempted to encompass the way in which women were socially viewed. Each decade will encompass the female stereotype most notably prone during that period of time.
The project I have created is a series of photographs meant to give answer to the following sub questions. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20th century? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing style of the clothing during the 20thcentury? Each picture helps to answer each of the above questions. The clothing, hair, makeup, and character undertaken in each photograph demonstrates the way in which women were viewed in each decade, as well as the different ways in which they were viewed in varying decades, harkening to their clothing styles.
Concerning the topic of research, I primarily utilized first hand knowledge of vintage fashion through the viewing of actual vintage clothing, photographs, illustrations, and written material. Many of this information was found via books on fashion and the history thereof.
In actuality, the creative demonstration of my project consists of a series of five photographs. Each photograph represents an authentic historical look at fashion from the following decades: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. All of the six looks are demonstrated by myself and showcase authentic hair, makeup, and wardrobe appropriate to the given decade. I have situated myself in a background setting and pose in line with the given decade. This aspect of this project truly gave me a deeper understanding of what it must have been like to be a woman during the 20th century. For example, I felt strong and noble in my classic 1940s skirt suit set, but contrastingly felt over-sexed and objectified in my flirty, low-cut 1950s dress. My short 1960s frock and flowing 1920s dress were statements of rebellion in and of their own, where my 1930s ensemble forewent all signs of typical fashion appeal in favor of something minimal and practical.
My research indeed proved supportive to my project. The material I found whilst researching also helped to support the points I creatively demonstrated in my project via the pictures. For example, the leg-revealing mini dress and bold colors of the 1960s outfit demonstrate how the youth during that decade “questioned the status quo, rebelled against authority and expressed their antipathy towards the ‘Establishment’ through their dress, in the process of adopting uniforms of their own” (Blackman 166). The long, slimming gowns of the 1920s helped to “create an androgynous dress code that would broaden the discussion of the relationship between the sexes” (Buxbaum 32).
The results of my project are pretty obvious. The photos are attempted replicas of the information I am researching. Their purpose is to showcase the difference between decades of women’s fashion of the 20th century as well as show an authentic depiction of historical fashion. My research was about 20th century women’s fashion and the difference between the various decades, and my creative project essentially demonstrates that.
More importantly, my project demonstrated how the various changing clothing styles of the 20th century correlated to how women were socially viewed. My pictures depict a languid and apathetic 1920s flapper, a subdued and stressed 1930s woman, a strong and vigilant 1940s woman, a flirty and feminine 1950s girl, and a rebellious and bold woman of the 1960s. Fashion not only physically changed in terms of clothing throughout the decades of the 20th century, but the overall portrayal and depiction of women likewise correspondingly changed.
As we leave the academic discussion of this project behind, it is my hope that the reader has gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of what it meant to be a woman in the 20th century. From flapper to go-go girl, this paper has sought to demonstrate how women’s clothing relates into the way they are socially viewed and treated. Move on into the future with a clearer mindset of what it means to be a woman. Appreciate the fact that you have a broad range of clothing from which to choose. Your grandmother did not enjoy the same.
Works Cited Blackman, Cally. 100 Years of Fashion Illustration. Laurence King Publishing: London 2007. Print. Buxbaum, Gerda. Icons of Fashion, the 20th Century. Prestel Publishing: New York 2006. Print. Wilcox, Claire. The Golden Age of Couture. V&A Publishing: London 2007. Print Strodder, Chris. Swingin’ Chicks of the ‘60s. Cedco Publishing Company: California 2000. Print
Abstract Twentieth century women’s fashion and the way in which women were socially regarded during the 20th century share a distinct correlation. Focusing on the 1920s-1960s, this liberal arts capstone project focuses on the relationship between clothing and the way in which the women who wore this clothing were viewed. This project provides answers to a series of questions related both to women’s fashion and the way in which women were viewed through the different decades of the 20th century. This project also sheds light on the different ways in which women’s fashion changed throughout the decades of the 20thcentury and how views on women subsequently changed and fluctuated. Additionally, I personally demonstrate the points I seek to prove in this project via a creative series of photographs inspired by vintage fashion plates.
Man or woman, boy or girl, we all wear clothes. Here in 21st-century America, garments are often viewed from an average standpoint as shield against the elements and a wearable and functional component of life. Fashion aficionados and chic boutiques hawk and purchase the latest new trends, but for those of us who choose to do so, fashion can remain ignored and unimportant in the background of our lives. Historically however, clothing has not only stood for practical purposes, but for purposes regarding social customs pertaining to gender issues. A look at past centuries of fashion most certainly sheds light on this topic, but a slightly more recent era provides the reader with a more understandable and relevant view. An overview of 20th-century fashion, ranging from the 1920s-1970s will help the reader to understand how clothing directly correlates to the social status of women. Fashion and the roles of women are a directly and intimately related.
How, in fact, do clothing styles relate to the way in which a woman is viewed? In order to answer this question, we must first explore the potential answers to several other questions. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20th century? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing styles of clothing during the 20th century?
Since I was fourteen years old, I have had an intimate and personal love affair with vintage 20th century clothing. Up until recently, I possessed this passion simply for surface reasons: I genuinely prefer the theatrical and flamboyant aspects of older clothing compared to modern fashion, I appreciate the higher quality and craftsmanship of vintage pieces, and I can financially invest in expensive pieces that will only increase in value as time passes. However, as the years rolled by and I opened an online vintage clothing shop, I began to constantly compare and contrast the clothing styles of years gone by with contemporary fashions. Not only is it important for me to be familiar with vintage clothing in an intrinsic sense, but it would be detrimental to my career not to possess a “big picture” knowledge of these fashions along with the women who originally wore them. Additionally, it is my goal to convey this important knowledge to other vintage aficionados in my field of industry.
The aforementioned list of sub-questions are discussed and answered by decade: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Each section focuses on answering the sub-questions in relation to a particular decade. Each decade section is accompanied by a photograph in which I myself model a typical ensemble (complete with authentic hair and makeup) from that particular decade, visually showing the way in which women were socially viewed during that decade.
The only technical term that comes to mind that readers might misunderstand is the term “vintage clothing”. In this context, vintage clothing denotes clothing that is between one hundred and twenty years old. However, we are choosing to focus on the 1920s-1970s, which means the clothing will range from ninety to thirty years old. Any further unfamiliar fashion terms foreign to the average reader will be immediately explain.
All in all, I hope that this peek into the past is both educational and enjoyable to the reader. As different decades are addressed and different views of women unfold, it is my hope that the reader will gain a deeper appreciation for the past as well as an appreciation for the more open-minded fashion sense of the present. This project is meant to inform the reader both regarding an often-neglected sector of feminism and an often-neglected sector of fashion.
Changes in 20th century fashion can be witnessed purely through the physical experience of walking into a vintage clothing store and examining pieces of clothing that are drastically different from one another. However, the importance of such mere physical and material changes and their relation to the way in which women are socially viewed can be better explained through the eyes of informative and educational literature. Historians and fashionistas alike have written countless volumes discussing the changing styles in women’s fashion. These works can reveal to the reader on a deeper level the subtler connotations of fashion and how they directly relate to the way in which women were expected to act and live in the various decades of the 20th century. Prior to the 1920s, women’s fashion had primarily focused on the natural curves of the female body. Take a look at any pre 20thcentury painting and you will see an emphasis on the breasts, hips, and general womanly roundness of the female form. However, the 1920s focused on a more streamlined, drop-waisted silhouette with an emphasis on plunging necklines and backs (Blackman 9). One of the chief goals of fashion designers during the 1920s was to “create an androgynous dress code that would broaden the discussion of the relationship between the sexes” (Buxbaum 32). Although fashion was by no means masculine, the focus had shifted from the feminine body underneath the clothes to female person wearing the clothes. Women did not have to possess a traditional feminine body type in order to be regarded as beautiful or attractive. This new style of clothing both physically and socially liberate women as society accepted a new era of feminine independence (Blackman 11).
The 1929 Stock Market crash not only affected America in a big picture sense, but also smaller tangents of culture like fashion. Instead of the lavish frivolity and impracticality of the 1920s, women of the 1930s had to rely on classic wardrobe staples and clothing styles to guide them through this time of national depression. (Some of the most destitute women were even forced to fashion frocks made from old feeding sacks.) Parisian designer Elsa Schiaparelli forefronted the trends of the 1930s with her architecturally strong yet femininely flattering clothing styles (Blackman 70). Fellow Parisian designer Madeleine Vionnet invented the iconic Depression-era bias cut, a clothing style that possessed both the feminine drapery and subtle elegance and strength of the Middle Ages (Blackman 71). The bias clothing styled helped to emphasis the quiet strength, power, and no-frills practicality that a woman was expected to possess while our country was faced with such a tremulous state of affairs.
An exact decade after the beginning of the Great Depression, World War II spread its vast wings of chaos over the globe in 1939. Practicality and war-time rations predominated over the allure of Parisian fashion and women began to more regularly frequent American designers like Hattie Carnegie (Wilcox 32). An emphasis was put on wide shoulders and slim skirts, with the sole touch of frivolity giving way to memorable and outrageous hats. However, after France was freed from Nazi clutches in 1944 the fashion world once again turned heads towards the extravagant and bold designs of gay Paree, most notably that of Christian Dior (Wilcox 39). His designs combined the sharp elegance and practicality of the war-time fashions with a luxurious abundance of post-war fabrics and materials. Silhouettes gradually became more feminine with fuller skirts, yet accompanied by crisp jackets and accessories (Wilcox 40). Women were slowly nudged out of their cocoon of War-time practicality and back into a world where extravagant fashion dominated the runways and department stores.
Paying homage to the styles of Christian Dior, the post-war fashions of the 1950s focused on femininity and luxury. Products and materials were made readily available to the public and American fashion became more commercialized with the emergence of the boutique (Wilcox 52). “Ladylike” accessories like hats, purses, and gloves were not only popular in terms of fashion, but constituted social acceptance and status (Buxbaum 78). A woman was not considered to be properly dressed if her ensemble lacked the proper gloves and hat. Social traditions veered back into Victorian-era territory where a woman’s reputation was severely put on the line provided that her wardrobe was not in tip-top order. While the 1920s produced a wild and rebellious sense of frivolity in fashion, the 1950s catered to a feminine side of overindulgence, impracticality, and a focus on a narrow and blanketed aspect of womanhood.
The fashions of the 1960s were a direct retaliation against the fashions and traditional moral values of the 1950s. Young people “questioned the status quo, rebelled against authority and expressed their antipathy towards the ‘Establishment’ through their dress, in the process of adopting uniforms of their own” (Blackman 166). Silhouettes became more streamlined and hemlines rose to a sky high shortness, mimicking the styles of the 1920s but with a harder and more modern edge. Practicality was sacrificed for rebellious youthful statements, coming to fruition in the vein of paper dresses, miniskirts, cellophane blouses, and platform shoes (Strodder 55).
An overview of the above depicts the various ways in which fashion relates to the social aspects of women during the 20thcentury. From the drop waisted dresses and bob haircuts of the 1920s, to the mod mini dresses and rebel spirit of the 1960s, it is obvious that fashion is not a simple expression of what hangs in one’s closet. Fashion represents the way in which others view us and in the way in which we view ourselves.
As was mentioned at the beginning of this study, this capstone project focuses on answering a series of related questions. How do clothing styles relate to the way in which a woman is viewed? In order to answer this question, a series of sub questions must first be answered. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20thcentury? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing style of the clothing during the 20thcentury? Although this is a creative project, certain elements of research must be incorporated into this study. Since the primary purpose of this study is to compare and contrast elements of fashion with elements of feminism, this project can be almost automatically placed in the correlational research design department.
For this project, I have used book sources as the primary elements of research design. Some of the books I have used have correlational research in and of themselves where they make their own comparisons and contrasts with fashion and feminism. Other works of literature focus simply on fashion elements. Either way, I have utilized both types of literature to make my own correlational comparisons and contrasts for my capstone project. Further continuation of the reading of this assignment will reveal a creative project in which I personally demonstrate the various ways in which feminism and fashion are related, hence showing such aforementioned correlation in “real life.”
My first of three sub questions concerns how women were socially and historically viewed throughout the 20thcentury. This question is primarily answered through methods of research. Seeing as this question concerns history (and I am unfortunately not in the current possession of a time machine) I can’t really complete a personal or creative project on it, as it relies on information typically found through research. Consultation of the previously mentioned book research methods is used to answer this question.
My second of three sub questions concerns how women’s clothing styles have changed over the various decades of the 20th century, focusing on the 1920s-1960s. While research of informative literature is most assuredly helpful in answering this question, a more interesting aspect of providing an answer is through the means of a personal modeling project. In my project, I have included a series of pictures in which I model an outfit from each decade, complete with authentic vintage clothing and period appropriate hair and makeup. Through these photos, I will attempt to convey a concept of authentic vintage fashion to the reader.
My third of three sub questions concerns the way in which the changing views of women relate directly to the changing styles of clothing during the 20th century. This question is answered via the aforementioned modeling project, but in a slightly different aspect. Through my conveyance of the clothing styles, I have also attempted to encompass the way in which women were socially viewed. Each decade will encompass the female stereotype most notably prone during that period of time.
The project I have created is a series of photographs meant to give answer to the following sub questions. First, how were women socially and historically viewed throughout the 20th century? Second, how have women’s clothing styles changed over the various decades of the 20th century? Finally, how have the changing views of women related directly to the changing style of the clothing during the 20thcentury? Each picture helps to answer each of the above questions. The clothing, hair, makeup, and character undertaken in each photograph demonstrates the way in which women were viewed in each decade, as well as the different ways in which they were viewed in varying decades, harkening to their clothing styles.
Concerning the topic of research, I primarily utilized first hand knowledge of vintage fashion through the viewing of actual vintage clothing, photographs, illustrations, and written material. Many of this information was found via books on fashion and the history thereof.
In actuality, the creative demonstration of my project consists of a series of five photographs. Each photograph represents an authentic historical look at fashion from the following decades: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. All of the six looks are demonstrated by myself and showcase authentic hair, makeup, and wardrobe appropriate to the given decade. I have situated myself in a background setting and pose in line with the given decade. This aspect of this project truly gave me a deeper understanding of what it must have been like to be a woman during the 20th century. For example, I felt strong and noble in my classic 1940s skirt suit set, but contrastingly felt over-sexed and objectified in my flirty, low-cut 1950s dress. My short 1960s frock and flowing 1920s dress were statements of rebellion in and of their own, where my 1930s ensemble forewent all signs of typical fashion appeal in favor of something minimal and practical.
My research indeed proved supportive to my project. The material I found whilst researching also helped to support the points I creatively demonstrated in my project via the pictures. For example, the leg-revealing mini dress and bold colors of the 1960s outfit demonstrate how the youth during that decade “questioned the status quo, rebelled against authority and expressed their antipathy towards the ‘Establishment’ through their dress, in the process of adopting uniforms of their own” (Blackman 166). The long, slimming gowns of the 1920s helped to “create an androgynous dress code that would broaden the discussion of the relationship between the sexes” (Buxbaum 32).
The results of my project are pretty obvious. The photos are attempted replicas of the information I am researching. Their purpose is to showcase the difference between decades of women’s fashion of the 20th century as well as show an authentic depiction of historical fashion. My research was about 20th century women’s fashion and the difference between the various decades, and my creative project essentially demonstrates that.
More importantly, my project demonstrated how the various changing clothing styles of the 20th century correlated to how women were socially viewed. My pictures depict a languid and apathetic 1920s flapper, a subdued and stressed 1930s woman, a strong and vigilant 1940s woman, a flirty and feminine 1950s girl, and a rebellious and bold woman of the 1960s. Fashion not only physically changed in terms of clothing throughout the decades of the 20th century, but the overall portrayal and depiction of women likewise correspondingly changed.
As we leave the academic discussion of this project behind, it is my hope that the reader has gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of what it meant to be a woman in the 20th century. From flapper to go-go girl, this paper has sought to demonstrate how women’s clothing relates into the way they are socially viewed and treated. Move on into the future with a clearer mindset of what it means to be a woman. Appreciate the fact that you have a broad range of clothing from which to choose. Your grandmother did not enjoy the same.
Works Cited Blackman, Cally. 100 Years of Fashion Illustration. Laurence King Publishing: London 2007. Print. Buxbaum, Gerda. Icons of Fashion, the 20th Century. Prestel Publishing: New York 2006. Print. Wilcox, Claire. The Golden Age of Couture. V&A Publishing: London 2007. Print Strodder, Chris. Swingin’ Chicks of the ‘60s. Cedco Publishing Company: California 2000. Print
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