Looking
youthful, yet still recognizably feminine, are the
‘‘Freshman Runner’’ and the ‘‘Hail-fellow-wellmet.’’
In contrast, the ‘‘Girl who came to college
to broaden her mind’’ has a relatively feminine
face shape with severe hair, the ‘‘Collegiate to
whom Prom is just another college activity’’ has a
somewhat masculine face shape with long, feminine
hair; but the ‘‘Athlete’’ is indistinguishable
from a man with a thick neck, square jaw, and
extremely short, masculine hairstyle (‘‘Prominent
Kallikaks’’ 6–7). Thus, although Smith students
took advantage of growing opportunities to express
their sexuality through clothing and appearance,
they were also quick to place boundaries
around that expression.
Figure 5. The stereotype of the athlete, 1925 (‘‘Prominent Kallikaks’’ 6–7). Smith College Archives.
12The Journal of American Culture_Volume 32, Number 1_March 2009
Conclusion
The women who attended Smith College in the
1920s negotiated new conceptions of gender and
sexuality in part through fashion. Consumer
products gave students the tools with which to
create their personal and public identities,
whether that was as a progressive feminist, a
fun-loving flirt, or somewhere in between. While
many students lauded new styles for their progressive
nature, others sought to limit the extent
of social change. Significantly,sheath bridal gown,
evidence suggests
that Smith women felt a growing pressure to keep
up with popular fashions simply because they
were fashionable. To be modern and current became
the ideal, so much so that the adoption of
more conventionally feminine styles seemed quite
natural at the end of the decade. At the same time,
fashion served as an arena in which students could
explore and manage changing conceptualizations
of female sexuality.Japanese school uniforms.
While Smith women of the
1920s experienced new opportunities and pressures
to assert their sexuality through their clothing
and appearance, the range of available sexual
models simultaneously narrowed. For many, the
assertive conception of female (hetero) sexuality,
as expressed through clothing and appearance,
enabled social success, for others, it raised concerns
about class and sexual identity; many probably
found themselves somewhere in between.
What emerges as most significant is the overwhelming
commitment of these women to consumption,
a commitment that resonates strongly
with the experiences of early twenty-first century women.
http://www.fruzeo.com/blog/114218/some-American--women-wore-more-radical-fashion
Looking
youthful, yet still recognizably feminine, are the
‘‘Freshman Runner’’ and the ‘‘Hail-fellow-wellmet.’’
In contrast, the ‘‘Girl who came to college
to broaden her mind’’ has a relatively feminine
face shape with severe hair, the ‘‘Collegiate to
whom Prom is just another college activity’’ has a
somewhat masculine face shape with long, feminine
hair; but the ‘‘Athlete’’ is indistinguishable
from a man with a thick neck, square jaw, and
extremely short, masculine hairstyle (‘‘Prominent
Kallikaks’’ 6–7). Thus, although Smith students
took advantage of growing opportunities to express
their sexuality through clothing and appearance,
they were also quick to place boundaries
around that expression.
Figure 5. The stereotype of the athlete, 1925 (‘‘Prominent Kallikaks’’ 6–7). Smith College Archives.
12The Journal of American Culture_Volume 32, Number 1_March 2009
Conclusion
The women who attended Smith College in the
1920s negotiated new conceptions of gender and
sexuality in part through fashion. Consumer
products gave students the tools with which to
create their personal and public identities,
whether that was as a progressive feminist, a
fun-loving flirt, or somewhere in between. While
many students lauded new styles for their progressive
nature, others sought to limit the extent
of social change. Significantly,sheath bridal gown,
evidence suggests
that Smith women felt a growing pressure to keep
up with popular fashions simply because they
were fashionable. To be modern and current became
the ideal, so much so that the adoption of
more conventionally feminine styles seemed quite
natural at the end of the decade. At the same time,
fashion served as an arena in which students could
explore and manage changing conceptualizations
of female sexuality.Japanese school uniforms.
While Smith women of the
1920s experienced new opportunities and pressures
to assert their sexuality through their clothing
and appearance, the range of available sexual
models simultaneously narrowed. For many, the
assertive conception of female (hetero) sexuality,
as expressed through clothing and appearance,
enabled social success, for others, it raised concerns
about class and sexual identity; many probably
found themselves somewhere in between.
What emerges as most significant is the overwhelming
commitment of these women to consumption,
a commitment that resonates strongly
with the experiences of early twenty-first century women.
http://www.fruzeo.com/blog/114218/some-American--women-wore-more-radical-fashion