WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH IN FASHION

From Black History Month to Women’s History Month, we transition to appreciating the strides that women have made, regarding the fight for gender equality, as well as their general innovation in all walks of life.

 

While men occupied most of the leading positions, women made names for themselves early on as fashion icons, activists, and designers. Fashion has been utilized by women as an art and a tool, a statement and an opinion, as beauty and atrocity.

 

Bobbed hair in the 20s, linked with the revolutionary flapper movement, questioned the beauty standards that suggested long hair as femininity in women for centuries. The Chanel pantsuit in the 30s also rejected the traditional expressions of gender and gave women the freedom to dress more masculine as it suggested success and independence. The hippie/boho aesthetic came to rise in the 60s during the protest of the Vietnam War, fashion for a movement. The Black Panthers’ signature looks were black turtlenecks and berets, uniformed and symbolising solidarity.

 

Fashion is art, as well as language. It is an industry where women reflect a high percentage as creators and consumers. In celebration of Women’s History Month, take time to acknowledge the adversity that women persevered through to make it here and the work that still needs to be done. Importantly, take the time to appreciate the women in your life and how they use fashion to change their world.

 

Have a great day,

Lola