Dress In America

Women’s Changing Dress and Role at the Turn of the 20th Century American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “Sail, sail thy best, ship of Democracy/Of value is thy freight, ‘tis not the Present only/The Past is also stored in thee” in his poem Thou Mother with Thy Equal Brood. Throughout America’s short and dynamic history, women have played a vital role in the development of belief systems, policy making, and country building that fostered the country America is today. However, that is not to say these roles have remained static but rather are fluid and complex; perhaps the most visible era of the changing relationship between women and the country is the turn of the 20th century, ranging from 1900-1929. These pivotal and tumultuous decades forever changed the way women lived and presented themselves in society, especially through the changes shown through dress. …show more content…
How does dress reflect socio-economic and political nuances of any given society, era, ethnicity, etc.? For the purposes of this essay, the definition of dress used will be the various body modifications and body supplements used by a person or group of people(s) in order to protect the body, extend the body’s abilities, beautify themselves, or give nonverbal communication about the wearer (Eicher). Additionally, women’s dress during the turn of the 20th century provides a fascinating study in how all of these aspects of dress interact with societal expectations of women, the economic status of women and their families, and the political climate of the time period. From widescale nationalist propaganda goals during WWI to the local women’s Temperance movements that began during the 19th century, we are able to gain a greater insight into the lives of women by analyzing their dress with respect to the historical context it belongs