Female Fashion in the 1930s
Written by Brandon, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous
What women had accomplished in the 1930s laid the foundation for all the rights and privileges that women enjoy today. Nowadays men and women have equal rights. Women are free to be independent and unique in their own extreme or subtle ways. They can live their lives however they want to. Have you ever wondered how this came to be? Or maybe if it was any different in the past? Well, what you are about to read should help answer these questions.
Before the 1930s women were subject to strict social rules and standards that differed from what was applied to men. Typically women were to stay at home and tend to their children and husband. Women were expected to do the house chores such as cooking and cleaning. A good wife was expected to have prepared a good meal for her husband by the time he got home. She was also expected to take care of any chores related to raising the children such as their school activities and so on. After all the other chores were done, at the end of the day they were also expected to get the children ready for bed and tuck them in afterwards. Since Atticus’ wife died when the children were young, he has had Calpurnia around to do all the womanly tasks that needed to be done (Lee 6).
During the early 1930s, when it came to employment women faced many challenges against men. Women were discouraged from working outside of the home because it was perceived that they would be taking jobs away from men who were supporting families. Women were also perceived to be incapable of performing the same tasks as well as men. Several states even went as far as passing laws limiting women’s employment opportunities. When they were able to obtain employment it was usually a less desirable job than a man would get. Therefore women became telephone operators, secretaries, nurses, and other jobs that required very little physical strength. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird all of the teachers at Scout and Jem’s school that were mentioned happened to be women (18).
Women had various role models that inspired them in their quest to find justice and equality. One such person was the wife of the president of the United States at the time Eleanor Roosevelt. She originally got involved by writing a series of essays called It’s Up to the Women (Press 15). These writings addressed such issues as peace, eliminating poverty, women’s rights, children’s issues, and the rights of all minorities in general. She also urged women to support trade unions, to set up consumer groups, and to get involved with politics. This caused a threefold increase in the number of women belonging to trade unions in 10 years.
All these events in the 30s lead up to other significant contributions by role models such as Amelia Earhart in the field of aviation, Hattie Wyatt the first women to be elected to the U.S. senate, Marian Anderson in the field of performing arts, and so many more. Women were bound by so many rules and obstacles in that period of time. The courage and involvement of all these women in pushing for more rights and removing barriers that restricted them in their quest to be fairly and equally treated as men (Gerdes 326). Today all these things that we take for granted such as women firefighters, politicians, soldiers, engineers, doctors, and much more, seemed impossible at the time (Hughes). Even though the goal seemed unreachable by the standards of the day perseverance of strong women paved the way for all the gender equality rights of today.
Before the 1930s women were subject to strict social rules and standards that differed from what was applied to men. Typically women were to stay at home and tend to their children and husband. Women were expected to do the house chores such as cooking and cleaning. A good wife was expected to have prepared a good meal for her husband by the time he got home. She was also expected to take care of any chores related to raising the children such as their school activities and so on. After all the other chores were done, at the end of the day they were also expected to get the children ready for bed and tuck them in afterwards. Since Atticus’ wife died when the children were young, he has had Calpurnia around to do all the womanly tasks that needed to be done (Lee 6).
During the early 1930s, when it came to employment women faced many challenges against men. Women were discouraged from working outside of the home because it was perceived that they would be taking jobs away from men who were supporting families. Women were also perceived to be incapable of performing the same tasks as well as men. Several states even went as far as passing laws limiting women’s employment opportunities. When they were able to obtain employment it was usually a less desirable job than a man would get. Therefore women became telephone operators, secretaries, nurses, and other jobs that required very little physical strength. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird all of the teachers at Scout and Jem’s school that were mentioned happened to be women (18).
Women had various role models that inspired them in their quest to find justice and equality. One such person was the wife of the president of the United States at the time Eleanor Roosevelt. She originally got involved by writing a series of essays called It’s Up to the Women (Press 15). These writings addressed such issues as peace, eliminating poverty, women’s rights, children’s issues, and the rights of all minorities in general. She also urged women to support trade unions, to set up consumer groups, and to get involved with politics. This caused a threefold increase in the number of women belonging to trade unions in 10 years.
All these events in the 30s lead up to other significant contributions by role models such as Amelia Earhart in the field of aviation, Hattie Wyatt the first women to be elected to the U.S. senate, Marian Anderson in the field of performing arts, and so many more. Women were bound by so many rules and obstacles in that period of time. The courage and involvement of all these women in pushing for more rights and removing barriers that restricted them in their quest to be fairly and equally treated as men (Gerdes 326). Today all these things that we take for granted such as women firefighters, politicians, soldiers, engineers, doctors, and much more, seemed impossible at the time (Hughes). Even though the goal seemed unreachable by the standards of the day perseverance of strong women paved the way for all the gender equality rights of today.
Works Cited
Gerdes, Louise I., Bruno Leone, and Bonnie Szumski, eds. The 1930s. David L. Bender, 2000. Print. America's Decades.
Hughes, Lesley. "Add women and stir..." Canadian Dimension May-June 1997: 18+. Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.
Petra Press. Cultural History of the United States Thriugh the Decades: The 1930s. San Diego: Lucent, 1999. Print.
Hughes, Lesley. "Add women and stir..." Canadian Dimension May-June 1997: 18+. Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.
Petra Press. Cultural History of the United States Thriugh the Decades: The 1930s. San Diego: Lucent, 1999. Print.
Female Fashion
Written by Sabrina, Sanskar, Anonymous, Anonymous
The Great Depression largely impacted female fashion because it caused many women to start working, primarily from home. Instead of looking good, they focused more on feeling good since they would not encounter many people during the day, although they saved their luxurious gowns for the evening.
Because women worked from home, female fashion in the 1930s was very simple and became more feminine. The day wear contained more of a natural waist line, and the longer skirt lengths gave the female form a more elegant and slender look. Along with the long "flowy" skirts, they also wore a long sleeve shirt usually made with cotton which made them very comfortable (Corey). In the evenings however, they wore more sophisticated items to enhance their feminine side. The design of these dresses hugged their curves and then flared out below the hips. They commonly had deep plunging backs and low cut necklines, made of silk (Lowell).
The book To Kill A Mockingbird was set in the 1930s. By understanding what the women wore then, it would be easier to picture what Maycomb would have looked like. The book talked a lot about how the women sat in circles and gossiped. But what most people would notknow is what they would have looked like or how they dressed. As you learn about their attire, you will also learn about the culture at that time. Knowing about this would help you understand the book more.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird ties into female fashion many times throughout the story. One example is about Aunt Alexandria. “Aunt Alexandria was waiting up. She was in her dressing gown, and I could have sworn she had on her corset underneath it” (212). This quote shows that women's clothing can be used to describe their demeanor. Aunt Alexandria is made to seem very serious or old fashioned. Another example is when Aunt Alexandria comments on Scout's clothes. “Aunt Alexandria was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandria's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she game me when I was born” (81). This quote shows that a lot of women back then wanted to be very feminine. The older women guided the younger to follow in their fashion footsteps.
In conclusion, the great depression affected the women fashion industry forever. By having women work more, there was a need for more conventional clothing, meaning clothing that people could easily move in. Everything was played down except for the nights when the women went out. Gorgeous gowns were saved for later use like for parties and such, while skirts were used for everyday use. Maybe that's why fashion is so important to women today.
Because women worked from home, female fashion in the 1930s was very simple and became more feminine. The day wear contained more of a natural waist line, and the longer skirt lengths gave the female form a more elegant and slender look. Along with the long "flowy" skirts, they also wore a long sleeve shirt usually made with cotton which made them very comfortable (Corey). In the evenings however, they wore more sophisticated items to enhance their feminine side. The design of these dresses hugged their curves and then flared out below the hips. They commonly had deep plunging backs and low cut necklines, made of silk (Lowell).
The book To Kill A Mockingbird was set in the 1930s. By understanding what the women wore then, it would be easier to picture what Maycomb would have looked like. The book talked a lot about how the women sat in circles and gossiped. But what most people would notknow is what they would have looked like or how they dressed. As you learn about their attire, you will also learn about the culture at that time. Knowing about this would help you understand the book more.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird ties into female fashion many times throughout the story. One example is about Aunt Alexandria. “Aunt Alexandria was waiting up. She was in her dressing gown, and I could have sworn she had on her corset underneath it” (212). This quote shows that women's clothing can be used to describe their demeanor. Aunt Alexandria is made to seem very serious or old fashioned. Another example is when Aunt Alexandria comments on Scout's clothes. “Aunt Alexandria was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandria's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she game me when I was born” (81). This quote shows that a lot of women back then wanted to be very feminine. The older women guided the younger to follow in their fashion footsteps.
In conclusion, the great depression affected the women fashion industry forever. By having women work more, there was a need for more conventional clothing, meaning clothing that people could easily move in. Everything was played down except for the nights when the women went out. Gorgeous gowns were saved for later use like for parties and such, while skirts were used for everyday use. Maybe that's why fashion is so important to women today.
Works Cited
Corey, Marian. “Linen and Cotton First.” oldmagazinearticles. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2011.
Lowell, Lauren Lowell. "The Great Depression & WWII." Cfa.com. FTSS, 25 May 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.
Lowell, Lauren Lowell. "The Great Depression & WWII." Cfa.com. FTSS, 25 May 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.