Fall Edition︱Fashion
The Evolution of Fashion | By Galitte
Fashion is not just clothes! Fashion is an anomaly. It’s always changing shape, color, fabric, and style. It’s not just one, two or three dimensions–it’s a subject that can be viewed from every perspective. In its origins, fashion was just clothes, something to cover yourself. People hid under their brown robes and saggy hoods.
When civilizations developed enough, social stratification–and the timeless if not primitive same gender competition for a mate–appearances began to matter and became fashion. In recent years, as the public has adopted negative opinions about changing themselves for others, fashion became something more personal. All of these phases led to your outfit right now. But let’s dig deeper–fashion isn’t just about the surface, and neither is its history. Let’s go back to when your outfit was your torture chamber.
GENDER AND RESTRICTING CLOTHES
In the past, some clothes have been made out of lace and others were out of flammable metals. But no matter the material, women’s clothes were made to restrict the female body. Women would faint constantly from the pressure of these bodices, and some would even be structurally altered, suffering rib cage deformities due the pressure. And all to conform to the image of the ideal woman? The policing of gender norms in clothing turned fashion trends into an overlapping factor of body anxiety. When fashion is mixed with a sensitive topic, the result is an unmatchable standard.
Unfortunately for your ancestors, clothing equivalent to a straight jacket didn't stop at a contorted torso. If your ancestors were Chinese, they may have suffered with the foot binding practices. People in ancient China led themselves to believe that w9men should be petite and have child-sized feet, so they broke their feet! At the small age of 4 years old, your parents would have someone snap your feet in horizontal halves for a more petite look, and you would live on life with broken feet. The trend was started during the Song dynasty, and then spread across the country. Women would have to be carried or walk slowly in two-inch steps across the home while doing housework for their husbands (whom of which were held up to no standards and were likely older). Foot-binding effectively left women dependent on others.
A REAL AWAKENING: THE 1900's
Finally, after eons of restriction and sexism, a fashion awakening arrived. The 1900's was unlike any other century: each decade the fashion industry evolved, new designer brands were made, and women got to wear shorter skirts and business wear. It was, without a doubt, the most revolutionary century for fashion to date. The history of the twentieth century was what influenced the attire, of course. Take the Roaring Twenties, for example, with its bright flapper girls with sleek dresses, muted colors with bright reds and feathers, pearls all under a gold-ish hue. And that was just the start.
When the 1930s-1950s came into play, so did cinematography, and the fashion fit the theme. The makeup industry evolved in this era, with long lasting vibrant eyeshadows and lipstick, paired with big eyes and Betty-Boop inspired proportions. The standards shifted from boy-like torsos to Marilyn Monroe 's curves and Audrey Hepburn’s ballet legs. Women would achieve this look with bullet shaped lingerie and and dress-shaped undergarments to accentuate their curves. Some women would even stuff their dresses with toilet paper and socks.
The big poodle skirt and satin gala body ratios were unmatched. After World War II, women were out in the world and showed it in pantsuits and ribboned flats. War booms, as seen during the 1950s, led to economic growth. People were having more children, prices were affordable, and technology such as microwaves, dishwashers, and women had their own cars and credit cards (a trend seen since the 1920s consumerism). By the 1970s, Chanel was able to make a comeback with business attire, which was knocked off by everyone. And Vogue thrived from cover to cover with every beauty tip imaginable.