Feminist fashion has become a new cultural trend with people using social media to advocate for change through wearing clothes that celebrate feminism and identity.
It is commemorated for its individualistic and diverse empowering statements. Yet, beneath the emancipating taglines and progressive branding lies the deeper question of whether feminist fashion is affordable for all or does it come innately with entitlement and privilege?
To answer this deep-provoking question, one must understand the grits of feminist fashion from the intersection of historical and cultural lens.
The historical fabric of feminist fashion
Feminist fashion refers to clothing choices that emphasise gender equality and empowerment and challenge conventional notions around gender beauty. It blends individuality with a broader societal message, making it an intersectionality of personal and cultural statement.
Prior to the 19th century, women wore restrictive corsets with heavy boning and tight lacing, which looked highly uncomfortable, but they didn’t have much freedom to exercise their choices. To change this, feminist Amelia Bloomer invented ‘bloomers,’ the first female trousers, which were quickly adopted by women who sought independence in their closets and lives. However, after several controversies surrounding the piece, it was retired and traded back for traditional female dress. During the 1900s, matching suits worn for cycling and horseback riding became the typical attire for sports matches and offices. Furthermore, certain colours, such as white (purity and femininity), purple (loyalty), and green (dignity), became a crucial part of women’s Suffrage movement in the form of symbols.
Around the 1910s, trousers were integrated into female wardrobes as Paul Pioret’s Middle Eastern Harem-inspired ‘jupe-pantaloon’ style trousers were brought into the west, leading to the rise of ‘new woman,’ which became popular in 1920s : era of flappers, short bobs, and knee-length dresses. Additionally, in 1925, Coco Chanel introduced a sportier feminine look through the “Chanel suit,” which comprised a straight skirt and a boxy jacket made of tweed (fabric associated with men’s wear ) which defied conventional notions and was further developed in WWII when women started entering the workforce. Post WW-II, ultra-feminine fashion came back in style with zipper-backed dresses and form-fitting shapes. Feminist fashion was seen as an enemy; red lips and heels became symbols of oppression.
However, this changed in the 1960s when Mary Quant invented a miniskirt, which transformed into a symbol of the sexual revolution ignited by the rise of contraceptive pills. It was followed by the popularisation of power dressing style in the 70s and 80s, which gave women a more masculine and professional look made up of matching skirts and jackets with padded shoulders. This gave women a variety of new clothing styles and the freedom to exercise their choice to wear whatever they wanted to in the form of clothing, accessories, and fashion attire.
In India, it all started with women using woven cotton fabric from flax plants and cultivated silkworms for silk to wear knee-length skirts with jewellery like bangles, earrings, and beaded necklaces .This evolved into the introduction of dupatta and little rectangular pieces of fabric, one on the lower part of the body and other on upper part of the body.It continued until the 16th-17th century, when salwar-kameez (a garment) became popularised and is now virtually seen as the national dress in India.
The feminist fashion movement commenced with making of khadi sarees and suits as a part of the Swadeshi Movement which encouraged the use of locally produced goods and became an emblem of independence, self-reliance and solidarity. Saree emerged as symbol of cultural pride intertwined with femininity and authority. It continued until the 1970s when women started preferring cotton saris and salwar kameez as workplace attire and revival of traditional Indian weaves by designers such as Ritu Kumar and Sabyasachi Mukherjee came into play,intersecting with modern fashion. This symbolised balance between modernity and traditional heritage.
Today, women have freedom to choose different fashion styles such as gender-fluid fashion, intersectionality- fashion,technology-creativity fashion and they can choose to participate in feminine styles.They decide for themselves which pieces make them feel best and there is less debate over what women should be wearing.
Is it tied to the luxury vs accessibility saga?
Feminist fashion endorses equal access to everyone and is committed to the ideals of body positivity and equity. However, beyond the core, the accessibility of clothing activism reveals the harsh realities and disparities that cannot be ignored.
The main aspect of fashion being privilege can be seen from an economic lens, where price point becomes the key to accessing the fashionable clothes. Sustainable brands and those who align with feminist ideals often charge high prices which, although reflect commitment to fair wages and eco-friendly materials, end up excluding the large portion of the population who cannot afford to spend a significant amount on clothing. This economic barrier has created a situation where ability to participate in feminist fashion is tied to financial privilege, and those who can afford high-end, sustainable brands are celebrated for their participation while others are either criticised for non-participation or excluded from the movement.
Other aspects of this can be viewed from a social and beauty lens, where urban-rural divide and body – beauty notions can significantly impact accessibility of fashion and clothing in society. Feminist fashion requires some level of social privilege to be worn freely, as the access is usually concentrated in urban areas where bold and unconventional styles might be celebrated, as opposed to conservative communities where wearing diverse styles might come with outrage and backlash, and rural areas where the clothing choice might not be easily available, reinforcing a gap in the participation of people in the movement. Viewing from a body perspective, the marketing and designing of pieces is the main criteria towards accessibility of clothes, as they are more available to thin, able-bodied people who align to conventional beauty standards and brands fail to cater to diverse clothing sizes, leaving behind people who don’t align with traditional norms and diluting the idea of feminism and body positivity.
Another aspect of this can be glimpsed from a cultural and literary lens, where the act of cultural appropriation and literary critique can play a significant role towards fashion privilege in norm-based society. Usually, fashion intersects with cultural traditions, as brands might borrow designs, fabrics, or patterns from marginalised groups without properly understanding the historical struggles of the communities, and when their clothing style is remodelled as a fashion statement, it can lead to people from original culture identities being stereotyped for wearing the same items.
Furthermore, clothing can be used to reinforce caste and class hierarchies where only urban elites and upper-class people have the right to experiment with clothing as a symbol of autonomy and liberation, ignoring the realities of underprivileged groups for whom clothing is used as the emblem of oppression and cultural expectations. Literary writings offer viewpoints on how the right to clothing choice is pre-decided by social fabric and shaped by privilege. It can be explored through the works of Shilpa Phadke “Why Loiter?” and Nivedita Menon “Seeing like a Feminist” where both, in their respective books, explore the link between public dressing and consumerist notions through empowerment and privilege and how it consistently ignores social realities by celebrating bold, feminist styles of the elites and criticising the working-class and underprivileged for basic clothing choices. They also highlight how fashion is linked with power and class as they show how rural people and less powerful are excluded from expressing themselves through clothing and used as symbols of both control and independence by the communities.
Fashion has the potential to bring real social change in global society, and confronting the privileges is significant towards making that mark. It needs to be made inclusive of all genders and communities, ensuring that it respects all historical struggles and doesn’t alienate people based on social status, culture, or body size. Brands, artists, and designers have a social and moral responsibility of addressing disparities associated with fashion, which needs to be done through offering affordable options related to feminist fashion, diversifying size ranges, and collaborating authentically with marginalised groups, as these measures can help in making feminist fashion more equal and sustainable for the communities.
Feminist fashion celebrates diversity and embraces individual and unorthodox styles. However, its accessibility and affordability are linked with the luxury and privilege of all layers—economic, cultural, historic, and social—which can create inequalities among all communities. There is a need to acknowledge the eliteness of fashion, as it can unite and inspire people into exercising their clothing choices. For feminist fashion to live up to its principles, it must focus on curating a social statement that not only reflects diverse social realities of individuals but also champions the idea of collective freedom to employ clothing choices. By doing the same, it stays true to the idea of equality, justice, and empowerment for all in the global society.
