How Fashion Empowers the Feminist Movement

Can fashion and feminism coexist? It’s a rhetorical question if you strip it down to the basics.

Social activist Gloria Steinem is the epitome of women using clothes as a powerful symbol of change. The leader of second-wave feminism has proven over and over again that you are what you wear.

Her signature concho belts and tinted aviators added to the allure of a woman commanding a room even when it didn’t need leading. 

Glamor says Steinem cemented her status as a radically different style icon. During the 1960s when other young women were dreaming of their wedding days, she wrote about contraception and gender parity. 

Eschewing the powder pink suits made famous by Jackie Kennedy, Steinem chose to rage against the machine in fitted Henley shirts and flared jeans. Decades later her influence remains visible on catwalks from Paris to New York.

 

Advocating for Agency

Back in the 60s, Steinem was a fervent supporter of female contraception. The Pill was approved as a form of birth control by the FDA. Other methods were soon to follow.

Although Depo-Provera birth control was introduced in 1959, the FDA only approved it in 1992. It could explain the Depo Provera lawsuit settlements. 

For years, activists like Steinem advocated for equal access to birth control only to find that hormonal contraceptives like Depo Provera could increase the risks of developing meningiomas (brain tumors).

Depo Provera lawyers claim prolonged Depo Provera use and exposure to medroxyprogesterone acetate in the birth control shot was tied to meningioma diagnosis.

TruLaw adds that settlement amounts will likely range between $100,000 and $500,000 following Depo Provera litigation.

The class action lawsuit says Pfizer failed to declare the significant health risks of Depo Provera injections, causing severe headaches, physical pain, and emotional distress.

In essence, fashion has always been a depiction of the current mood. It mirrors society’s frame of mind. Below, we’ll look at how fashion empowers the feminist movement.

 

Blooming Marvelous

Body autonomy and the male gaze have always been a bone of contention for women. Having no agency over how we dress and look has come full circle as women reclaim their power.

It’s only fitting that fashion leads the charge which is why bloomers are back on the covers of glossy magazines and trending on social media. Here’s a fun fact. Those ruffle-bottom super-large panties were once deemed feminist statements in the 1800s.

Bridget Jones’s favorite undies are now reimagined as playful shorts embellished with lace and more ruffles. 

 

Challenging Gender Norms

Suffragette Amelia Bloomer is credited with making a political statement with the frumpy underwear and using it as a form of protest.

Believe it or not, bloomers were controversial because they revealed women’s ankles, which were considered sexual organs at the time. In other words, the simple garment of clothing challenged the gender norm.

 

Hello Coquettecore 

If you haven’t heard about coquettecore, you’ve probably been living under a rock. The trend is infiltrating Gen-Z culture like a colorful unicorn’s tail, from the annals of TikTok to the center courts of the U.S. Open.

New Wave Mag describes coquettecore as a “collective embracing of hyper-femininity.” It’s a trend challenging the status quo of fashion and feminism and people can’t get enough of it.

Hyper-feminine aesthetics is ushering in a new epoch defying patriarchal norms and reclaiming the female gaze. No longer content with “power dressing” that encouraged women to suit up with a masculine edge, coquettecore leans towards lacy bows and soft pinks.

 

Upending Society’s Standards

Finally, women are reclaiming their power and their bodies, and fashion is the tool for expressing individuality rather than conforming to standards.

Women-led brands like Gongdid Design are reinventing trends that speak to their souls. The Thai label, founded by Peach Wichcha Sponpattana, embraces craftsmanship and flowing silhouettes. 

For Sponpattana, her designs cultivate an environment where women feel empowered — “not just in what they wear, but in the very act of making these pieces”.

The next time you visit your local clothing boutique, think about the message you want to portray. Your clothing can serve as armor, allowing you to claim space previously denied to you.

Making bold statements is no longer just fashionable. It’s about female autonomy and empowerment. 

Shakespeare once said, “The clothes maketh the man.” Yet Coco Chanel claimed: “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”

Dressing is a power move, one that allows you to be frivolous and playful without shame or fear. Don’t be scared of being judged when wearing that leather mini-skirt. 

Wear the skirt; wear the red lipstick and live life unapologetically in all the hues of pink. It’s cool to be a girlie girl in a man’s world while rocking Doc Martens.