Yes!! Change is Back!!! We saw what happened during the 1930's but now fashion seems to have turned around and is starting to become more and more modern. I know we don't have the awesome fashion we have today but we're getting there. Slowly but surely...
Origins
Finally! The dresses are finally starting to get shorter (and more modern) and we finally see women beginning to wear pants. Pants began gaining popularity among women and the younger generation of women in 1940. I bet that the women who wore pants loved how free they felt with movement. And thrilled that they could do many activities such as acrobatics and other sports that couldn't be done while wearing a skirt.
Purpose
This is a new idea of this time period because women were expected to wear dresses and not wear similar clothing as men. Pants became more and more common as women began wearing them more often in public.
"With the men overseas at war, women entered the workforce to take over the jobs the men left behind. Because of this, women had to choose clothes practical for work. For the first time, it became acceptable for women to wear pants. Women also began to wear overalls for more heavy work. Hair had to be pulled back and covered to prevent it from being caught in machinery. Often, snoods and handkerchiefs were used to achieve this. By convenience, women began to wear these outside of work resulting in fashionable snoods being designed to be worn as evening attire. Sportswear became popular on college campuses where they spread to the wider population. Women would frequently wear tight rayon or cotton shorts and playsuits during hot weather"
A classic example of a woman working during WWII is the lady in the picture below:
Value
This can be seen as the women's expression for wanting to be socially equal to the men. (This includes in the household) This is the best expression of the time period because it show how the women felt. They wanted not to be below the men any more. They had the right to vote, and now that many, many of the men went off to the war, many women found jobs and replaced the men. I believe that many of the women enjoyed working for a living instead of staying home cleaning, cooking and caring for small children all day.
Limitations
What the fashion of the 1940's can't show us what's happening around the world at this time. It can't show us that the U.S. joined WWII in 1941 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, or how horrible the Holocaust was for the Jews in Europe. Pants in the 1940's was still a new idea but soon gained popularity, especially since many women now took the jobs that had once belonged to the men.
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