j$: english paper

Relationship Between Fashion and Feminism

Research question: What is the attitude of the contemporary feminism towards fashion?

Thesis statement: Although feminism was critical to fashion for a century, the current feminist agenda accepts fashion as a tool for struggle for rights.

Bibliography

Cornish, Sarah E. 2017. "Fashion Is Spinach, But Style Is Politics: Elizabeth Hawes’s Functionalist Feminism". Feminist Modernist Studies 1 (1-2): 74-95.

The article comments on the life and works of Elizabeth Hawes, American fashion designer famous for her criticism of fashion ideology. As the publication demonstrates, Hawes’s stance can be interpreted as a feminist one due to her contribution to women’s and union movements and her approach to clothing manufacturing. Particularly, the idea of a timeless and comfortable dress was emancipatory and empowering.

The article was published in the peer-reviewed journal Feminist Modernist Studies what makes it a credible source. The author, Sarah E. Cornish, is an Assistant Professor, at Department of English in the University of Northern Colorado. The focus of her research is modernist and women writing of the interwar period.

This publication is useful for the research as it demonstrates the history of the link between fashion and feminist politics. The case of Hawes proves that design of closes can be a political statement because this area of human activity has a significant influence on the lives of women. This early example of the feminist agenda in the fashion industry is highly relevant for the current situation because the arguments that Hawes used are still actual and reliable.

Dilley, Rachel, Jenny Hockey, Victoria Robinson, and Alexandra Sherlock. 2014. "Occasions And Non-Occasions: Identity, Femininity And High-Heeled Shoes". European Journal Of Women's Studies 22 (2): 143-158.

This article investigates the role and meaning of wearing high-heeled shoes in contemporary society. The authors conclude that social practice of turn to such fashion items in different situations allows distinguishing between doing gender and displaying femininity. This focus leads to a critical stance towards the idea of the project of self as high-heeled shoes prove the temporal and fluid nature of identity.

The article was published in the peer-reviewed European Journal Of Women's Studies what proves its credibility, as well as the academic background of its authors. The prominent advantage of this study is that it is based on the three-year empirical research that combined focus groups and case studies. Nevertheless, the authors base their research on complicated methodology what results in unclear conclusions.

For the further research, this article is useful for its empirically-based study of the behavior of contemporary women fashion and the actual practice of wearing particular items. Another application of the ideas of this publication is the criticism of stability and permanence of female choices. Finally, the article can contribute to a more sophisticated exploration of the relationship between fashion and feminism thanks to its developed methodology.

Fisher, Lauren Alexis. 2018. "Buying Into Feminism: When Fashion Designers Sell Politics Alongside Their Clothes". Harper's Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/a19631581/politics-on-the-runway/.

The article states that in recent years more and more fashion designers are paying attention to feminist politics. There are a number of issues that are in the center of attention from the planned parenthood to fighting intersecting racism and sexism. Indeed, some of the latter fashion shows can be considered as political statements.

This text was published in Harper's Bazaar, one of the most influential magazines in the industry. The prominent advantage of the article is the fact that although the author has positive attitudes towards fashion designers, she is conscious about the risk of exploitation of feminist slogans. However, as Lauren Alexis Fisher is not a scholar, there is a need for more careful examination of the article.

The publication can be used in the research because it is informing in details about the contemporary relationship between fashion and feminism. Although the text focuses on the positive aspect of this link, the quality of the investigation is outstanding. Moreover, the author not only pays attention to collections but also to their media effect.

Negrin, Llewellyn. 2008. "Feminism And Fashion". Appearance And Identity, 33-52.

This book chapter explores the history of the feminist attitude towards fashion. As the author demonstrates, the feminist criticism of fashion has its lasting history. From the nineteenth century, feminists emphasized the fact that women dress has oppressive function and is often dangerous for health. This idea was later developed by Simone de Beauvoir and finally resulted in the well-developed and complex criticism of the feminist authors of the 1970s and 1980s.

This chapter comes from the book Appearance and Identity: Fashioning the Body in Postmodernity by Llewellyn Negrin. The credibility of the source is confirmed by the fact that the book was published by Palgrave Macmillan, a notable academic publisher. Llewellyn Negrin is an Adjunct Senior Researcher at the School of Creative Arts, the University of Tasmania. Her researches are focused on fashion and contemporary aesthetics.

For this research, the book chapter is crucial because it provides essential information about the history of the development of the relationships between fashion and feminism. This source is important because its narration can serve as a background for more sophisticated investigations of particular issues. Nevertheless, as the information is too basic, there is a need to complement it with insights from other sources.

Oliva, Selene. 2017. "The New Feminism Choose Fashion To Communicate". Vogue.It. https://www.vogue.it/en/fashion/trends/2017/02/21/the-new-feminism-choose-fashion-to-communicate/.

The article comments on the recent trend of incorporation of feminist agenda in the fashion industry. As the author illustrates, many contemporary designers support feminism, and this intersection is evident in their collections. Oliva illustrates her message with numerous examples from the most important fashion shows in order to prove the fact that fashion is deeply involved in women movement.

The text was published in the Italian version of Vogue, one of the key fashion magazines, so the competence of its contributors is undisputable. Nonetheless, Selene Oliva is a specialist in fashion, not in feminism, so her interpretation can be biased. In addition, the disadvantage of the publication is the lack of attention to feminist critics of fashion.

This article is vital for the research because of the vast amount of factual data about the current developments in fashion that are affected by feminist politics. Thanks to this recent publication, there is a possibility to interpret the current situation in fashion and the attempts of the industry to overcome its oppressive function. Finally, the text is useful for its positive stance towards fashion what contrasts the traditional feminist position.