DRESSED TO PROTEST:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FEMALE FASHION ACTIVISM
Fashion is one of humanity’s greatest tools of identity, and sartorial choices have been a powerful vehicle for political expression and response to sociopolitical movements. While fashion protest can be on an individual level, the cooperation of looks among a group of people has historically provided a sense of togetherness and unity, whether it be the Pink “Pussyhats” or bright red MAGA hats worn at Trump’s inauguration. Other times, fashion activism is indirect — a passive response to the ever-changing political and cultural landscapes. Here are some of the most transgressive moments of women’s fashion activism in the last century that have fought for the rights and liberation of women.
Women’s Suffrage White — USA, Early 1900s
The women’s suffrage movement in the United States not only paved the way for female liberation but for visual unity in fashion. The color white has undoubtedly been the most enduring element representing the decades-long fight for the right of women to vote (Black women did not secure the right to vote until nearly 50 years later, however). When 300,000 women came together in London’s Hyde Park in 1908, the perceivable impact of having a dress code became evident for American women. So, on March 3, 1913, thousands of suffragettes wore white and gathered in Washington, D.C., to call for the constitutional amendment that would grant (white) women the right to vote.
A common misconception is that women wore white to subvert the ideas of purity and chastity. It was quite the opposite; women wore white to emphasize their sexual and moral innocence in order to be taken seriously. Women wanted to convey that they did not intend to destroy the patriarchal hierarchy, and to deny the accusation that they wanted the vote to be morally corrupt within American society. White, the cheapest color of cotton and thus the most accessible, created a more striking visual impression against the sea of black suits worn by men.
Black suffragists, in particular, took advantage of this association with moral purity. They, too, wanted to show that they were honorable and worthy of the vote — a standing they were heavily excluded from in public discourse. Beyond the fight for the vote, Black women wore white during the 1917 Silent Parade to protest lynching and racial discrimination.
Over recent years, the color white has been worn by prominent female politicians, such as Hilary Clinton, who wore white on numerous occasions during her run against former president Donald Trump. Perhaps the most notable woman of white is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), whose signature look is white tailoring with bright red lipstick. At the 2019 State of the Union address — which marked the 100th anniversary of the right for women to vote to be added to the constitution — AOC was among a sea of female congresswomen who wore white in solidarity with the women who fought before them.
Note: I want to acknowledge that while the feminist first wave was transformative, it was far from progressive; many white suffragists had ties with supremacists and consciously tried to exclude Black women from their cause. This section is merely intended to objectively analyze what is widely considered the first act of female fashion protest in America.
Coco Chanel’s original LBD sketch in American Vogue’s October edition, 1926
Coco Chanel’s “Little Black Dress” — American Vogue, 1926
While Coco Chanel’s design of the “Little Black Dress” (LBD) in Vogue’s 1926 October issue may not have been an active form of collective protest, one could argue that the LBD represented women’s liberation from an individual level. The LBD was undeniably a transgressive moment in women’s fashion, allowing women to reveal their more daring side. Chanel had a flair for turning tradition on its head; what was initially associated with religion and death, the LBD became synonymous with stardom and socialites. The drop waist, above-ankle hem, and vertical silhouette offered women a new sense of mobility and freedom, which aligned with the newly emancipated “modern woman” of the 1920s. As time went on, the LBD designs became more and more daring, on par with women’s liberation movements.
In the 50s, Christian Dior feminized the LBD by shortening the hem and cinching the waist. In the 60s, Hubert De Givenchy designed perhaps the most well-known LBD, worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Since the original Chanel sketch in 1926, the LBD has been a statement piece for people who want to express their audaciousness yet celebrate their femininity.
Second Wave Feminism: Miniskirts — London, 1960s
Nineteen-sixties British society was questioning the status quo during the second-wave feminist movement following the availability of birth control in 1961. Women could finally explore their sexuality without fear of falling pregnant. The miniskirt conveyed this new sense of freedom and became the uniform for sexual liberation. While she didn’t invent the trend, British designer Mary Quant is credited for its popularity. Quant produced her first batch of mini dresses and skirts in 1966 in her London boutique, Bazaar. She claims, however, that her customers should take credit for the fashion movement, as they were the ones who entered her store and requested shorter hemlines.
Following the trend’s global acclaim, couture designers began sending models down the runway with shorter hemlines, often 6-7 inches above the knee. When Dior didn’t include the newfound trend in their show, the British Society for Protection of Mini Skirts (yes, this was a real group) protested outside the House of Dior in 1966, claiming Dior was “unfair” to miniskirts.
Well-known poster girls for the trend included two of the highest-paid British models of the 60s, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton (both were often regarded as the world’s first “supermodels”). In 1965, Shrimpton sparked controversy at the Melbourne Cup when she wore a white mini-dress sans hat, stockings, or gloves. For the first time since 1861, the winning horse was knocked off of newspapers’ front pages, instead showing the 22-year-old and her exposed legs. The next year, the trend gained so much traction that mini-dresses were the norm at the Flemington race course.
Pink “Pussyhats” — Trump’s Inauguration, Jan. 2017
On October 7, 2016, a video was released by The Washington Post of Donald Trump in 2008 claiming, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.” A couple of short months later, Trump was elected President of the United States. In response, on January 22, 2017 (the first official day of Trump’s presidency), The United States Capitol saw its largest protest in history: the Women’s March on Washington. Almost 500,00 people of all genders, religions, races, sexualities, and physical abilities came together to denounce Trump’s misogynistic policies and rhetoric. An estimated 5 million people protested worldwide on the same day.
One defining visual feature of the march was the pink knitted hats in the shape of cat ears. What seems like a relatively straightforward concept, the “Pink Pussyhats” have become an iconic piece of fashion activist history. The design was created by Jayna Zweiman, a multidisciplinary artist and designer who, due to an injury, could not attend any of the women’s marches. She wanted to find a way to still have a voice, so she and her friend Krista Suh co-founded the “Pussyhat Project,” an initiative where people all over the world knitted hats for the marchers in DC in an effort to create a “sea of pink.”
The simple design was multifaceted. Not only did it reference Trump’s remarks in The Washington Post video, it was almost a direct counter-protest to the sea of red MAGA hats that could be seen at Trump rallies. The Pussyhats embraced the “feminine” color of pink as well as the stereotype that knitting is associated with women. Zweiman and Suh knew that drones would be used to capture the march, so they responded to modern technology by making hats rather than t-shirts. The hats allowed people to reclaim their power and remove the stigma from a traditionally derogatory word.
Youngest parader in a New York City suffragist parade, May 1912
Congresswomen coordinating white outfits at Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address.
Mary Quant (center) and her “Ginger Group” of girls in Manchester, 1966
Photo by Howard Walker
Jean Shrimpton wearing Colin Rolf at the 1965 Melbourne Cup
The sea of knitted “Pink Pussyhats” at the 2017 Women’s March on Washington.