All women were assumed to dress very proper, both in the north and in the south. A common piece of clothing that all social classes were expected to wear was the corset. It was to be worn of some kind under a woman’s clothing. An expected waist size was 15 inches, highlighting differences in today’s women to those of the 1860s-1890s. The tightness of a woman’s corset was directly associated with a woman’s virtue. The slang “loose” was used to describe a women without a tight corset and one with inappropriate values. These tight undergarments were to be removed only in the bedroom, maintaining a women’s pureness (“Green”). Many criticized the corset because of its supposed negative health effects and its depiction of assisting the “lesser” sex (“Monet”).
Another fashion statement of this time was hoop skirts. These skirts were wide and held up by hoops constructed of wire or whalebone. Women from all classes began wearing these skirts, especially in the 1860s, when the manufacturing of these skirts made them more economical. The rise of sewing machines in the 1850s meant changes in the way clothes were produced in the 1860s. Clothing was now produced faster and cheaper, matching the price of any buying customer. This created a demand for hoop skirts at all income levels. These skirts emphasized a fuller rear end to create the image of the ideal woman of the time. This was a woman with narrow shoulders, a tiny waist, and wide hips (“Monet”). Near the end of the 19th century, skirts began to return to smaller sizes; however, they still emphasized the waist. The end of the Victorian Age saw almost an end to hoop skirts, but the larger volume of the skirts was still present. |
sources:
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"Into You like a Train: December 2010." Into You like a Train: December 2010. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
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Green, Jocelyn. "Women’s Fashion During the Civil War." Jocelyn Green RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
"Into You like a Train: December 2010." Into You like a Train: December 2010. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
Monet, Dolores. "Women's Fashions of the Victorian Era: From Hoop Skirts to Bustles - 1837 - 1901." HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.