Timeless Elegance or Tainted Grace

Lizmarie Delacruz   

Department of English, The City College of New York   

Writing for the Social Sciences (ENGL 2100)   

 Professor Crystal Rodwell

May 5, 2025

For years, fashion has held significant value in society, evolving through changes with time. Fashion has played an essential role in women’s lives, connecting itself with issues of autonomy,societal expectations, and identity. It is important to note that throughout history, standards of modesty, class, and style have continuously shifted, reflecting the values of the time. Something that played a significant role in these changes was the creation of a class status ladder in society. What this meant was that the higher one’s class, the more sophisticated, and expensive one’s attire became. Because of its rich history in society, fashion has remained a highly discussed and critiqued concept that has been numerously shaped by cultural, economic, and political influences. We will dive deep to explore the relationship between fashion and women, examining how it has both reflected and shaped their experiences throughout history.

Foot Binding

Foot binding which started within the Shang dynasty affected women’s autonomy through traditional values.  In the article “Women are silenced through laws, traditions,” by Dawn, Karachi Pakistan shows how laws and practices such as Chinese foot binding have shut women out. He focuses a lot on how, due to the suppression of women’s voices, sexual violence has become more prominent. This is because individuals who hold misogynistic beliefs either normalize it or fail to acknowledge it. Homeward Bound: My Chinese Grandmother’s Tiny Feet Point the Way Toward a Heritage I Never Knew by Janet Wu talks about the effect of having a family member who abided by these laws and the disconnect between them. She discusses the physical distance created, as her grandmother was foot-bound and physically restricted. The next thing she talks about is the mental and cultural distance. Because her grandmother was not used to the freedom and liberty her granddaughter had, it was hard to connect with her on a mental and cultural level, and practices such as foot binding, along with the laws that kept women in place, were normalized. Both articles complement each other well, as they provide a logical understanding of laws and practices and the emotional disconnect they cause.

This oppression of women correlates with the idea of systematic patriarchy, as the concept is that men are privileged through the law or the societal system. Dr. Afiya Shehrbano Zia, a feminist researcher, discusses how laws or things done in the name of culture or traditions can act as catalysts to oppress women. The book “Disputed Legacies: The Pakistan Papers at Government College University”, Lahore references how the increase in sexual violence and the silence surrounding it have led to its normalization. It is explained that  no one does anything about it nor acknowledges it in the context of South Asia, it allows perpetrators to rise and grants them more leeway through the law. During war or peacetime, violence against women remains constant because the nature of such dynamics is not seen as criminal. It is evident that practices such as Chinese foot binding or the idea of wearing corsets to attract a good suitor were so impactful and normalized because the people benefiting from these situations remained silent.

Traditions such as Chinese foot binding due to being normalized can affect women not only physically but also emotionally. This concept of Chinese foot binding and how deeply it has affected women emotionally continues in “Homeward Bound” by Janet Wu, when she reflects on how she felt connecting with her Chinese mother, who had bound feet. She explains how this was a painful practice that suppressed women. Wu talks about her experience growing up in America with her grandmother, who had bound feet. The idea of tradition was tricky for Wu. Her father left China and remarried in the U.S., so growing up, there was a big disconnect with her Chinese culture. She has tried to reconnect by going to China twice to see her grandmother, but during her trips, she noticed a physical and emotional barrier between them. On her second visit, before her grandma’s death, she notices how much culture and time cannot be regained. She ends this by wishing to bridge the gap between her culture and history, which she symbolizes with her grandmother’s tiny feet. This experience relates to the effects of such fashion practices not only on women’s autonomy but also emotions, as this culture of suppressing women took much of their freedom and made them dependent on a man, purely focused on beauty. Wu’s inability to connect with her grandmother due to how different their lives were is genuinely heartbreaking and helps one understand that foot binding not only affects the physical, but also one’s mental state.

Corsets

Bonding of the feet is not the only historic aspect of fashion that has deeply affected women. Coresets have left a mark on women and the societal expectations within fashion. The New York Times picked it up in their article “A Female Physiological Society.” The article discusses a women’s group in Brooklyn called the Ladies Psychological Society of Brooklyn, whose goal was to oppose fashion practices like corsets, which could harm women simply for the sole purpose of looking beautiful. This is not the only thing they advocated for; they also opposed high-heel boots, false hair, and other items they believed damaged women’s health. The members of this group follow healthy living standards and try to avoid restrictive clothing or clothing that can harm their health. Mrs. Theodore led this group, and they planned to take their advocacy further through lectures and education. Overall, this group tried to advocate for healthier habits for women, helping to make unrestricted clothing the norm. This article helps explain a lot about women’s oppression, as it shows how this group in Brooklyn was able to advocate for the normalization of practices like using corsets, which can bring physical and mental trauma later in life. Similar practices, like Chinese foot binding, although initially normalized, can be stopped through advocacy with women’s health in mind.

The corset was turned to be used past its original purpose and became a way to classify women in society. The European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies wrote an interesting article titled “The Cultural History of the Corset and Gendered Body in Social and Literary Landscapes” that goes on to give a detailed account of how the corset came to be and how its invention fell into the wrong hands. A creation made to help women achieve a more fitting figure became a symbol of rank and elegance. This was due to a slim, tiny waist being seen as more royal, divine, and delicate, something only people of the greatest elegance could achieve. This started the train of female inner hate, pushing the agenda of female oppression and victimization forward as women everywhere began to become extremely and unhealthily obsessed with a small, petite figure, doing almost anything to achieve the look they wanted. 

 However, as time kept changing and people’s views on beauty standards shifted with it, naturally, people’s views on the corset changed too. Even though many still wear them for their intended use, the need for an unhealthy diet doesn’t have to come with it, and it’s no longer required to be viewed as beautiful.

Pants

The corset and bonded feet were two great examples of historical things in fashion that greatly affected women throughout the years. But they are just a few of many things. Not being able to wear pants shaped women’s identity in how femininity and masculinity was viewed in society. To explain this, Elisabeth Krimmer’s “Officer and Lady” examines how Caroline de la Motte-Fouqué’s Das Heldenmädchen aus der Vendée, set in the 18th century, views female characters who defy societal expectations by dressing themselves up as men to claim personal freedom. Something I noticed is how this concept mirrors the storyline of Disney’s beloved movie Mulan, which many grew up watching. In the movie, a young Chinese woman decides to take a big risk and joins the military in place of her injured father, having to sacrifice the safety of home and the traditional clothing of a dress for a dangerous, unknown path. This was a decision that, while dangerous and uncertain, offered her a sense of freedom she had never experienced. Yet, with that freedom comes the constant risk of abandoning the femininity her family worked hard to preserve and show off, making them have to start fearing judgment and rejection from a society that only valued women who conformed. Similarly, Krimmer highlights how, in the 18th century, women who even thought to explore outside their assigned roles were often viewed as outcasts from their own gender. Fouqué’s novel skillfully explores this thin line between challenging social norms and using free will to not only rebel but be comfortable in their own skin.

 The societal anxieties about gender identity during that time period have put women in fear of rejecting conventional gender expectations.  During this time, there was a rigid and strict perspective on gender, with the concepts of masculinity and femininity becoming narrowly defined for everyone. This led to problems down the line with how toxic society viewed what was considered gender-appropriate. The article that discusses women in the context of pants and fashion is “Modesty Unshackled: Dorothy Jordan and the Dangers of Cross-Dressing” by Jean I. Marsden. In this article, the author examines society’s cultural view of women who dressed as men during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Even something as simple as women acting became a problem. When actresses began taking on male roles for more opportunities and money, it was still viewed as challenging society’s standards regarding gender norms. This was a shocking shift, especially since cross-dressing had once been accepted in theater. People like Leigh Hunt understood how deeply ingrained these rules were and warned that women adopting male attire could face consequences that would negatively affect their lives and cause them to lose their feminine identity. To further explore this topic of restrictions with gender norms and cross-dressing, the author Marsden centers her discussion on Dorothy Jordan, a renowned actress known for her performances in which she portrayed male characters. Although Jordan became famous for these roles, they were still heavily criticized and seen in a negative light. This essay continues with the actress and, through her, the author delves deeper into how women who wore men’s clothing were seen and, therefore, treated by society.Women who crossed these boundaries were treated like criminals, and even an actress as famous as Jordan faced mistreatment as a consequence of her “shameful act.” This highlights how controlling society was when it came to women and their clothing. Women were treated like trophies, something always expected to shine, look good, and be shown off. This further exposes how toxic society’s standards and expectations for women were.

Discussion

After researching the topic of fashion, specifically how it has affected women throughout the years, it appears that fashion has been used to oppress women’s freedom to express themselves and has used fashion as a tool of control. Instead of fashion items being used as a form of self-expression, it was used to shame and shape women into what society believed a lady should look like. This unequal treatment can be seen in Chinese foot binding, where women’s autonomy was changed for the sake of fashion. This societal norm affected the health of women and made them targets for sexual violence. In Homeward Bound: My Chinese Grandmother’s Tiny Feet Point the Way Toward a Heritage I Never Knew, Janet Wu discusses how this tradition was not just painful for the girls involved but rooted in misogynistic views. Because of how society was with beauty standards and laws regarding what they should do and wear, if they were unable to perfect that for any reason, the women wouldn’t be happy with themselves, causing them to be in a psychological war with themselves. Another example are corsets which like foot binding shaped there bodies and created harsh standards for women. In European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies article titled “The Cultural History of the Corset and Gendered Body in Social and Literary Landscapes”, The discuss how although the intention of the design was to support women physically it became distorted by society. Corsets created unrealistic views on how a woman’s body should look like damaging the self esteem of many and deteriorating the health of many individuals. This struggle to fit societal standards in an unhealthy way further pushes how oppressive fashion was. Society can be toxic and controlling when it comes to the high standards it holds women and their looks, which can be a reason why, further down the history lane, they became so strict and harsh to women who showed masculinity when they wore pants. The corset and foot binding are just two examples of how fashion has historically oppressed women. The backlash many women, especially actresses, face when only trying to do their job highlights the tension between personal freedom and societal norms. Jean I. Marsden’s examination of Dorothy Jordan and cross-dressing in her article “Modesty Unshackled: Dorothy Jordan and the Dangers of Cross-Dressing” further reveals how women who defied traditional gender roles were treated harshly. Women obtaining punishments for self expression in fashion show how stubborn and close-minded society was. It also highlights where societal expectations of women’s appearance and behavior stood and their supposed ‘reasonings’ behind why there must be a clear line between what is feminine and what is masculine, leading to the suppression and mistreatment of women.

Fashion has impacted women in various ways, weaving its way into issues of identity, autonomy with foot binding, societal expectations through corsets, and identity through the masculinization of items such as pants. The sources explained women’s fashion in the past and do not cover how masculinity in men’s fashion could contribute. There is also no evidence that modern fashion affects women similarly to the rise of social media. To understand women’s fashion as a whole, more research should be done on the impacts today, but by discussing the past of women’s fashion, we can see the major struggles in different periods and reflect on how that relates to modern problems in women’s fashion.

Commentary:

Analyzing my sources shows that fashion, which should be fun and expressive, is often used negatively toward women. Instead of providing freedom, it creates unrealistic expectations that shift how a woman’s body should be seen. The idea of foot binding, although crazy to me now in the past, was as normal as our waist trainers today. On the topic of waist trainers, corsets, which were the harsher version of waist trainers, kept women limited and were damaging physically and emotionally as they altered the body and lowered self-esteem. These traditions allowed for misogyny to become more prevalent and sexual violence. It became a normalization of oppression where shaming women for not following societal roles in fashion became acceptable.  The fact that actress Dorothy Jordan was shamed by how closed-minded and toxic society was back then proved how fashion wasn’t about making women feel good but about fitting a role assigned to them with a fear of deviating. I had fun with this topic as I’ve never seen women’s fashion through this lens. Looking back, it’s clear that fashion trends back then were a trap for easy judgment, and I wonder if fashion still behaves similarly today without us knowing.

References

A FEMALE PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. (1874, Jun 18). New York Times (1857-1922) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/female-physiological-society/docview/93394673/se-2

Homeward bound: My Chinese grandmother’s tiny feet point the way toward a heritage I never knew: By janet wu. (1999, Sep 05). New York Times (1923-) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/homeward-bound/docview/110146003/se-2 

Krimmer, E. (2001). Officer and Lady: Pants and Politics in Caroline de la Motte-Fouqué’s Das Heldenmädchen aus der Vendée (1816). Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, 30(1), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1353/sec.2010.0363  

The Cultural History of the Corset and Gendered Body in Social and Literary Landscapes. (n.d.). European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejis.v9i1.p153-153 Women are silenced through laws, traditions.” Dawn [Karachi, Pakistan], 5 Oct. 2019. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A601737243/STND?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=8f3  34b7f. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025