When women's equality comes down to the suitability of wearing trousers, it seems magical in modern life, but half a century ago, it was a serious issue of standing in line.
In the 1960s and 1970s, trousers were considered unacceptable by traditional housewives, not even culottes.
At the same time, liberal women's clothing on both sides of the strait has shown unprecedented diversification and modernization. To a certain extent, being able to wear trousers freely on any occasion according to one's own wishes became a criterion for whether women in that era were free.
When women's equality comes down to whether they can wear pants, it seems magical in modern life, but half a century ago, it was a serious issue of standing in line.
The history of women's pants from scratch
Until 27 years ago (1993), women in American politics were barred from Congress for refusing to wear skirts, and half a century ago (48 to be exact), the dress code for female students in public schools was limited to skirts.
The history of women wearing trousers is not as long as we imagined. Today, the freedom to wear whatever you like is not easy or not. Behind it, generations of avant-garde and brave women have won it for us all their lives.
Before the 1920s, women's trousers were generally not socially acceptable.
During the two world wars, most young and middle-aged men were conscripted into the army, and a large number of women were forced out of their homes to take on the jobs that were originally performed by men, becoming the main force of the social labor force.
Pants with a wider range of movement than skirts have naturally become a daily wear choice for working women, but only in the workplace. In social life, trousers are still considered indecent, and women themselves do not have a strong desire to wear them.
Pants "Promotion Ambassador": Coco Chanel
Although it was not his original intention, Coco Chanel, who wore sailing pants in the Deauville resort area of France in order to avoid excessive nudity, inadvertently further inspired women all over the world to wear pants.
As a fashion icon, her daily dressing choices have a very extensive and profound impact on the female group, and also buried the concept of fashion for the single product of pants, not just for practical considerations in wartime. The yachting pants she wore back then were actually quite different from the trousers we commonly see today.
It is so loose that it looks very similar to a skirt, and it looks a little like pajamas because of the light and thin material.
At first, it was used as a swimsuit for women to wear on the beach or sailing to the sea, which is why it is called sailing pants.
Coco Chanel later said that he regretted appearing in public in such a casual way of wearing pants, which led to many women wearing pants to attend dinner parties. But that's another story.
Shocking YSL Le Smoking Tuxedo
With the return of men to the family after World War II, the roles of wives and mothers of women in peacetime in the 1950s and 1960s were strengthened again, and skirts once again monopolized women's wardrobes.
In "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" with the 1960s as the background of the era, Susie, the "man-in-law" who wears the most trousers, even attends in trousers on formal occasions such as receptions, which is regarded as indecent and inappropriate. overly perverse.
Mickey, on the other hand, only wears trousers in very casual situations, such as when on vacation or at night with friends for a drink. In performances, dinners and other formal occasions, she wears various skirts and coats.
But just as Mickey, who has left Joe, is making a fortune in her stand-up comedy career, asking women who have broken through the limitations of their families and created more value in society to return to their families will inevitably bring a lot of dissatisfaction. .
Traditional family responsibilities (wives, mothers) can no longer satisfy young women, who want to find more value in life other than family, which paved the way for the second feminist movement in the 1960s.
In line with the development of the times, the Le Smoking tuxedo suit launched by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966 may now be described as "A explosion" and "Sister Fan", but it was not an exaggeration to describe it as "shocking the world" at that time. , and even many hotels and restaurants have banned women in this tuxedo.
The Radical Dressing Style of the 1970s
Compared with the monotony of aesthetics in the 1980s and 1990s, the style of women's clothing in the 1970s presented a big explosion.
There are so many styles, patterns and colors that are dazzling, none of them occupy the mainstream trend, all kinds of items are mixed and matched at will, and different styles (luxury, punk, cowboy style, hippie, oriental exotic style) are constantly being merged and re-decomposed. A truly dynamic era.
This is in line with the background of the era of the rise of minority groups at that time, equal rights for blacks, LGBT sexual minorities, equality for women, different classes, races, and even regions (East Bank, West Bank and Central regions) have different dressing styles, hippies An overzealous interest in Eastern (mainly Indian) culture adds to the infinite elements and themes available.
Older women love the retro style of the 1940s and 1950s, and young women have always resisted the excessively strong hippie style of the 1960s, but no matter what age group, comfort and leisure have almost become a core cornerstone of women's clothing style in this era. .
Compared with the previous concept of customization, chic, a trendy language that represents relaxation and good-looking, has become popular, implying civilianization and generalization (you wouldn't use chic to describe high-end clothing and brands, right).
1. Blue jeans denim for ten years
If you want to choose a single product in the 1970s to become the king of all-match women who are loved by thousands of women, jeans must be on the preferred list.
Straight, flared, high-waisted, and jumpsuits are available in endless cuts, in almost jaw-dropping shades, with traditional denim blue jeans being the most popular.
During the 40 seconds of "Mrs. America" Shlafley walks to the House of Representatives on the streets of Washington (episode 1), women in jeans make up the vast majority of the ERA-supporting younger generation walking around her (note the back Pedestrian pants and colors).
In the third episode, the liberals who are preparing the materials for the parade can give a clearer display. There are already 8 girls wearing blue jeans that can be counted to the naked eye.
The new items released by major clothing brands every season not only failed to push jeans from the throne of the king of single items, but actively designed new products around them. Female consumers not only buy more jeans, but also combine existing jeans with new styles.
Before the 1970s, jeans were only used as a functional item in the workplace, and would not appear in daily life and social situations.
However, thanks to the rise and vigorous development of the counterculture movement that combined punk culture and hippie culture in the 1960s and 1970s, jeans were sought after by a large number of young people, and also led a large number of original main products including Levi's and Lee. Functional jeans brand transformed into a fashion leader.
Jeans have become a trendy choice for liberals to insist on individuality and self-identity, and the 1970s are also called the decade of denim.
Any time the free women's camp gathers, women in jeans are always everywhere. On the contrary, the conservative camp, which is dominated by housewives, is almost always dressed in skirts (Episode 2).
During this period, it was quite common for women to wear trousers on various occasions (especially in the east and west regions). Under pressure, the U.S. government passed Title IX of the education amendment in 1972, allowing public school girls to wear trousers to school.
2. Jumpsuit jumpsuit
It’s not just jeans that have been transformed into everyday wear in the workplace. Workwear, which was originally only for men, has also been gorgeously transformed into a smash hit women’s jumpsuit. The common jumpsuits of the day had buttons and wide open collars and pockets for regular pants, and were made in a wide range of materials, including polyester, cotton and denim.
In the fourth episode of "Mrs. America", the group of African-American women in the home party, the girl in the red jumpsuit looks very outstanding.
Jumpsuits are not only loved by the majority of free women as a daily matching item, but also gradually become a kind of evening wear. However, compared with the style of daily wear, evening jumpsuits have undergone great changes in material and style, and they are more self-cultivating. , the material is more shiny, and mostly sleeveless.
3. Unisex popular neutral wind
In the 1970s, more women entered the professional army (43.4% in 1970), and more and more professional women entered senior management, and professional suits also became a means for them to show their power and strength.
As early as 1932, French designer Marcel Rochas has launched Pantsuits, which perfectly combines the two needs of women who want to wear trousers and professional suits.
Different from pantsuits that tended to outline female lines in the 1930s, the suit design in the 1970s not only borrowed the shape of men's professional suits, but also absorbed their style of opening and closing (loose, oversize). The occupational stereotypes that surround it begin to take shape at this stage.
millennial minimalism
Today, nearly half a century has passed since the 1970s in which "Mrs. America" was located, and the women's affirmative movement has also reached its fourth time marked by METOO.
After the overly flamboyant hodgepodge of styles in the 70s and 80s, minimalism has occupied an increasingly important position in modern professional womenswear since the 90s, and the millennium has become the mainstream of the fashion industry.
This is closely related to the development background of the era when the social status of modern women is constantly improving, the ceiling of the workplace is constantly breaking, and the traditional gender awareness is becoming increasingly blurred. capabilities and business value.
In 2015, the New York City Commission's Human Rights Department announced:
It is forbidden for companies to make gender-based dress and makeup requirements for employees, that is, companies cannot force female employees to wear high heels, unless all male employees are required to wear high heels, or unless all female employees must wear ties, otherwise companies cannot force Male employees are required to wear ties.
There is an essential difference between modern minimalism and the prevailing neutral style in the 1970s. It is a kind of counter-cultural movement that escapes gender binary, takes the individual as the core, and is rooted in modern fast-paced and high-intensity life.
Under this philosophy of life, modern women's first clothing tailoring has returned to comfort and functionality, and the use of colors has been gradually reduced to four colors of black, white, gray and beige. The style is simple and also shows a trend of diversification. Jeans that are considered "unprofessional" are also slowly soaking into most types of work.
Epilogue: The invisible rope
In a hypothetical world, if a feminist suggested burning all skirts all over the world (even upholding the principle of never letting go, no matter the pleadings of Scottish men, even kilt would not be spared), I should be able to understand this extreme idea (though not support it).
If the idea of "I put on pants like my husband's (as a joke)" never popped into the minds of women, they should not know that the dresses they have worn all their lives, the ones that are praised and brought by society Husbands, even strangers, approving expressions, and even the same-sex jealous eyes, short or long skirts and evening dresses, their entire wardrobe is a golden prison built by themselves, an invisible curse that cannot be broken.
As Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for president in American history, said in "Mrs. America":
Been manipulated for so long that neither of you can feel the ropes on you.
To get rid of the rope, you must first be able to perceive the rope.
Starter: Dossier Wallpaper
Personal public number: DramaMatters
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