Oppression vs. Empowerment

Fashion is and always will be a form of expression, it has symbolized movements but has been a tool of oppression. Our perception of clothing has been vital in the changing of trends and movements. From the actual trends of today and the past, to the conditions that garments have been and are made, I want to examine how we decide what is oppressive when it comes to clothing and fashion.

An article of clothing that many people think of when they are asked, “What was an oppressive garment from history?” is the corset. Ironically the corset has come back into style, crazy especially for those who think of it as oppressive. Corsets are according to Wikipedia a “garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape . . . for aesthetic or medical purposes, or support the breasts.” Historically, most women wore them as foundational supportive garments. An earlier iteration of the corset is the stay; a stay is another supportive garment worn by all women, especially peasant women who worked in fields. Starting roughly in the 1850s the dress reformists called for the end of the corset and tight lacing. Tight lacing, which created an idealized shape, was frowned upon because it was considered morally wrong and promiscuous. Having a defined waist was thought of as too scandalous for Victorian men. Corsets fell out of use in the 1920s and 1930s being replaced by bras and other such things. The style after the corset left the common woman’s closet was much looser, particularly in the 1920’s where a boyish drop waist silhouette was popular.

Let's examine the corset through a modern lens. They are back in style and their popularity has spread in part due to social media. Social media often facilitates the spread of trends in a short period of time. If you search ‘corset outfit’ on Pinterest, what comes up is pretty girls in bustiers or corset adjacent tops. These tops are a far cry from the garments of the past; they seem to prioritize comfort and style. They are typically short, no longer than the ribs, and made from stretchy materials. The boning of these corsets is much different, rather than bones repeating to the extent where there isn’t much space in between, these all seem to have large gaps in between the boning. Additionally, the boning is probably synthetic because companies care about profit margins and steel is much more expensive than plastic; I’m not talking about reproduction of traditional corsets, I’m talking about the corset tops that are trendy and flimsy. People now are not thinking when they go to buy a corset about its perception to be oppressive and promiscuous. I believe they think “oh a pretty girl on Pinterest wore this’ and add it to their cart. This complete shift from corsets being shunned to being in trend is interesting because it doesn’t seem like it was prompted; in fact, modern media still pushes the idea that corsets are bad and evil.

The graphic t-shirt trend became more widespread in the 1960s because the printing materials became more accessible, making production easier. This was just in time for the 2nd wave of the feminist movement. Though the movement should be criticized for not being inclusive of women of color or lower class women, they were pretty badass and great at getting on the news. These women would have their slogans written proudly across their chest and that has remained since then. People have proudly declared their support for movements through the classic graphic tee. Think about political merchandise to show who you support or shirts that show your dedication to end racial inequality or climate change. While these are amazing and effective they can also be false. Companies can spread false information or mislead the consumer on their intentions of what they will do with the profits. Greenwashing is when a company purposefully spreads misinformation or excludes information to present as environmentally conscious. H&M’s earth day every day graphic tee feels very ironic as they were accused of greenwashing. Their Conscious Collection was an attempt to be more aware of their environmental effects but they didn't provide information on how it was better for the environment (Vogue) and as a fast-fashion company none of their clothes will ever be ethical and environmentally friendly (Branding Mag). Fast fashion is incredibly environmentally unfriendly, producing large quantities of water waste that pollute nearby water sources.

The conditions in which many articles of clothing, not just graphic t-shirts are made is appalling. Factories frequently don’t follow safety procedures and workers are mostly young women who aren't being paid a living wage. There is a problem in the industry where the clothing accessible to the lower class is made by people in unfair working conditions, but ethically and environmentally conscious clothing is hard to find or expensive. It enables one to be trendy but also keeps another shackled to their work. Historically conditions in textile and clothing factories have not been good. The burning of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, was tragic because the conditions of the workers made it so deadly. Workers were locked into rooms, and wouldn’t be let out before the day was over; this exacerbated the problem in the shirtwaist factory fire, women weren’t let out and in desperation to escape they jumped out of the windows, plummeting to their death. In the 19th century girls were frequently working in factories under unsafe conditions. Textile factories were incredibly loud and had heavy machinery that children worked because of their small hands.

Fashion is inherently neither empowering or oppressive, but we need to be aware of the aspects of the industry. Trends of clothing can be oppressive when you feed into the idea that you have to wear something out of societal expectations that are placed upon you. It is what you make it, just be aware of the environmental and social impact of it.

Sources

“Access Denied.” H&M, www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0816591015.html. Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.

Catalogs Editorial Staff. “When Did Graphic T-Shirts Become Popular.” Catalogs.Com, 17 June 2020, www.catalogs.com/library/when-did-graphic-t-shirts-become-popular/#:%7E:text=Graphic%20t%2Dshirts%20first%20became,the%20cover%20of%20Life%20Magazine.

Donati, Rosina Lippi Aka Sara. “Dress Reform – The Gilded Hour.” The Gilded Hour, thegildedhour.com/dress-reform-lacing. Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.

Evans, Sidney. “H&M’s Greenwashing: Short-Sighted and Unethical.” Brandingmag, 20 July 2020, www.brandingmag.com/2019/12/12/hms-greenwashing-short-sighted-and-unethical.

Meltzer, Marisa. “A Feminist T-Shirt Resurfaces From the ‘70s.” The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/fashion/a-feminist-t-shirt-resurfaces-from-the-70s.html.

RNZ. “‘Make Policy Not Tea.’” RNZ, 8 Mar. 2017, www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/contemporary-feminism/story/201835879/’make-policy-not-tea’.

Webb, Ali. “The Evolution of Feminist Style.” CR Fashion Book, 26 Aug. 2020, www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a22736609/feminist-style-evolution-history.

Wicker, Alden. “The Flawed Ways Brands Talk about Sustainability.” Vogue Business, 1 Sept. 2020, www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/the-flawed-ways-brands-talk-about-sustainability-coronavirus#:%7E:text=In%20August%2C%20the%20Norwegian%20Consumer,cotton%2C%20recycled%20polyester%20and%20Tencel.&text=%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20so%20much%20noise,what’s%20real%20and%20what’s%20fake.%E2%80%9D.

Wikipedia contributors. “Corset.” Wikipedia, 2 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corset.

Wikipedia contributors. “Greenwashing.” Wikipedia, 10 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing.

---. “History of Bras.” Wikipedia, 16 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bras#:%7E:text=By%20the%20early%2020th%20century,%2C%20as%20well%2C%20go%20without.