Hadley Robbins
Feminism's Effect on Women's Fashion between the 50s and 80s
Fashion is one of the best reflections of time. As Eleanor Lambert, iconic fashion publicist, once said: “Fashion: it’s history in fabric. It frames the time you live and place you live, and the mood of people.” Clothes are the truest form of self-expression, but also a reflection of the world in which we live in – it’s norms, values and culture. This can be seen between the fifties and eighties when women’s fashion trends closely aligned with their rights. The less rights women had … the more standards of dress they were held to. Holding women to a high standard was ‘easy’ due to their ‘submissive’ social position and the concept of trends. Trends ensured conformity. But with each new decade between the fifties and eighties, feminism advanced ultimately resulting in less constraints surrounding the way women dressed.
50's Fashion - Feminine Elegance
Fifties fashion was heavily influenced by World War II. A post-war standard of beauty forced women to dress in a way that resembled the “perfect housewife.” Christian Dior contributed to this standard when he launched his “New Look” that consisted of wide skirts, and padded busts to cinch the waist. With the expectation to maintain their role as wife, mother and homemaker while their husbands fought in the war, women were also encouraged to look beautiful while performing their caregiving role. Women’s fashion in the fifties focused on femininity and elegance as a toll of conformity and for suppressing individuality. This focus on feminine elegance hindered the emancipation of women, and perpetuated women’s marginalized position in society.
60's Fashion - A Modernized Look
In the sixties, fashion transitioned away from a fixation on maturity and embodying ‘womanhood’ to focusing on youthfulness. Women now wanted to look young rather than their actual age, driving the abandonment of the ‘perfect housewife’ look away. Young designers entered the fashion scene eager to showcase new looks and angles creating a new ‘mod look’ – more modern and less formal. Even high-end fashion embraced the new ‘informal’ mood with designer André Courrèges creating a line of daringly modern clothing. This relaxed, bold and individualized style of dress was reflected in women’s increase of voice and role in society at the time. There were more women than ever before entering the workforce while simultaneously fighting to end domestic violence and sexual harassment. While women were shifting away from domestic conformity and into a borderline “anti-establishment” culture, so was their style of dress.
70's Fashion - The Hippie Movement
There was a lot of momentum gained in the seventies for the women’s rights movement and this was reflected in their more individualized looks with brighter colors and bolder patterns. Feminism grew immensely in the seventies. Women were given the right to an abortion following the Roe v. Wade case. They were publishing works addressing inequality and attending college. The proportion of women in government also tripled. Due to the political and social advancement, women and men were able to forego gender boundaries and wear the same styles of clothing. In fact, women’s fashion was partially inspired by menswear at the time. After all, what better representation that men and women are equal than both dressing in androgenous styles? With societal freedoms came freedom within wardrobe choices. Clothes were made to be experimented with; the societal pressures to dress a certain way were slowly wearing off - anything and everything passed.
80's Fashion - Bold Creativity
As women started to embrace their newfound authority and dominance in the eighties, their fashion did too with funky color combinations and crazy patterns. Not only was the fashion exciting and eye-catching, but so were the strides women were making with Sandra Day O’Connor becoming the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and Dr. Sally K. Ride being the first woman to go to space. Women were also starting to establish themselves in the workplace. In 1985, it was ruled by the Supreme Court that a work environment can be deemed hostile or abusive if there is discrimination based on sex. Driven by fashion designer Giorgio Armani, women wearing power suits grew popular symbolizing female empowerment and success. The rise of the power suit is a prime example of how societal changes influence fashion. This was the era of true individuality, with many subcultures beginning to pop up. Other significant aesthetics within the eighties were hip-hop, punk and workout inspired fashions. This new wave of creative fashion was a reflection of women taking a stand and making progress in their fight for equal rights.
The Power of Clothes
Through social and political reforms, women began to gain more confidence in their style of dress and role in society. Women transformed the fashion industry by wearing bright, bold, new apparel, making a statement to society. Their new style of dress, veering from what was seen before, set a new definition of a woman.
As an adult living in the 21st century, I am grateful for the way feminism has influenced fashion. If it weren’t for feminism, women would not be able to wear half the things we do. Paying tribute to other eras has been fun, but after reflecting on the restrictions and societal pressures women throughout history have faced, the freedom to choose and to honor those women becomes empowering. As these trends are coming back in style, I hope you think about the all the progress women have made fighting for their rights over the years.