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Clothing : A Social History
Examine the change in women clothing that came about as a result of two world wars.
The changes:
(i) In twentieth, century, many European women stopped wearing luxurious clothes because upper-class women mixed with other classes. Consequently, social barriers were eroded and women began to look similar.
(ii) Clothes got shorter during the First World War (1914-1918) out of practical necessity. By 1917, lots of women in Britain were employed in ammunition factories.
(iii) They wore a working uniform of blouse and trousers.
(iv) Bright colours faded from sight and only sober colours were worn as the war dragged on.
(v) Therefore, clothes became plainer and simpler. Skirts became shorter. Gradually, trousers become a vital part of Western women’s clothing.
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What were the Sumptuary laws in France?
Give any two examples of the ways in which European dress codes were different from Indian dress codes.
Suggest reasons why women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing. What does this show about the position of women in society?
Winston Churchill described Mahatma Gandhi as a ‘Seditious Middle Temple Lawyer’ now posing as a half naked fakir’. What provoked such a comment and what does it tell you about the symbolic strength of Mahatma Gandhiji’s dress?
Why did Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of clothing the nation in khadi appeal only to some sections of Indians?
What is a Takli?
What is Charkha?
What was a phenta?
Which wars transformed women’s clothing?
Which leader preached use of Khadi clothes for all Indians?
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