Description
Book SynopsisOften condemned as a form of oppression, fashion could and did allow women to express modern gender identities and promote feminist ideas. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox examines how clothes empowered women, and particularly women barred from positions of influence due to race or class. Moving from 1890s shirtwaists through the miniskirts and unisex styles of the 1970s, Rabinovitch-Fox shows how the rise of mass media culture made fashion a vehicle for women to assert claims over their bodies, femininity, and social roles. She also highlights how trends in women's sartorial practices expressed ideas of independence and equality. As women employed new clothing styles, they expanded feminist activism beyond formal organizations and movements and reclaimed fashion as a realm of pleasure, power, and feminist consciousness. A fascinating account of clothing as an everyday feminist practice, Dressed for Freedom brings fashion into discussions of American feminism during the long twentieth century.
Trade Review"A fascinating and accessible examination of fashion and feminism throughout history." --
Ms. Magazine "Thought-provoking. . . . Recommended." --
Choice "Rabinovitch-Fox provides an engaging and accessible history of American fashion and its relationship to feminism across the twentieth-century. . . . A highly readable and pacey book that will deservedly find a wider readership outside the academy. " --
Gender and HistoryTable of ContentsCoverTitle PageContentsAcknowledgmentsintroduction. Beyond Bloomers: The Feminist Politics of Women’s Fashion in the Twentieth Century1. Fashioning the New Woman: Gibson Girls, Shirtwaist Makers, and Rainy Daisies2. Styling Women’s Rights: Fashion and Feminist Ideology3. Dressing the Modern Girl: Flapper Styles and the Politics of Women’s Freedom4. Designing Power: The Fashion Industry and the Politics of Style5. This Is What a Feminist Looks Like: Fashion in the Era of Women’s LiberationEpilogue. The Fashionable Legacies of American FeminismNotesIndexBack cover
