The Evolution of Women’s Fashion

Mar 31 • Written by Caitlyn Go

The fashion industry has evolved tremendously over the past few decades. From elaborate Victorian gowns, to modern day street-style, there have been significant changes to the way in which women dress. On a surface level, these changes seem to be inevitable, as all things go through change. Afterall, trends and fads are bound to happen. However, women’s clothing has had an underlying message of conformity and modesty for the majority of history. It is only recently that we have begun to transition from a symbol of tradition and conformity, and turn it into a powerful tool of self-expression and empowerment.

During the Victorian Era, women’s bodies were sculpted to meet social standards of beauty with constrictive clothing, which limited their freedom of movement and autonomy. Corsets. for example, were used to make women’s waists appear smaller. This would involve tightening the lacing, restricting the lungs, and crushing the ribs. Women even began training their daughters to wear corsets, and adhere to ideals of feminine fashion. This was not at fault of the women who had adopted these ideals, but the men who perpetuated these expectations in order to demean women as the inferior gender, by setting up that expectation in the first place.

The 1960s and 1970s Women's Liberation Movement was crucial in questioning societal conventions and promoting women's rights. Women's clothing choices demonstrated an innovative sense of independence and resistance against traditional gender stereotypes as they obtained increased autonomy and responsibility over their lives. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Women’s Liberation Movement, and other women’s rights advocacies, women began to exist outside of their traditional norms, and thus, so did their fashion. Modesty and chastity became less of a priority, and instead, styles began to explore creativity and self-expression in their clothing choices. The rise of unisex and gender-fluid fashion, which embraced a more inclusive definition of gender expression and promoted diversity, signified this change. Clothing stores began to adopt more comfortable, unisex and gender-fluid clothing lines, allowing people to represent their gender identities beyond the binary constructs of male and female. What makes something feminine? What makes it masculine? This evolution in fashion blurred the line between what makes up a traditional man or woman. Additionally, runway shows and ad campaigns began featuring models of various gender identities, body types, and ethnic backgrounds, promoting a more inclusive vision of beauty and style. This subsequently led to the creation of several different sub-cultures, as a means of expressing identity and creativity further.

 Although these shifts might seem inevitable on the surface, stemming from the cyclical nature of fads and trends, a closer look reveals a significant progression in the underlying signals that women's clothing conveys. Once deeply ingrained in ideas of propriety and compliance, women's fashion has now become a powerful tool for empowerment and self-expression, reflecting the shifting nature of society and the goals of women everywhere.