#6 AWEAR Topic: Suits: The Key to Women’s Advancement in the Workforce Can Also Be Their Undoing
Suits Transformation Speaks Volume about Women’s Fight for Equality
Women’s suits and their evolution in fashion history is a true testament to the boundary-pushing journey toward gender equality. In response to significant societal shifts in different eras, the change of styles in suits had ushered women into an increasing pursuit of equal rights over the past decades.
From the first time that a custom trouser suit appeared on the actress Sarah Bernhardt in the 1870s, suits had not once failed to be a debate-starter. In the 1910s, the Suffragette Suit was the first telling example of women’s fashion responding to the changing times due to the Suffragette movement. Under the influence, Coco Chanel’s ground-breaking design abandoned corset-styled clothing with what others considered to be “the first truly female suit in the modern sense.”
From that point onward, suits became a reliable indicator of the women’s participation rate in the workforce. They waxed and waned with the societal trends, and their popularity struggled to climb outside the feminist circles before the 1960s due to women’s low presence in the job market. Though the progress had been slow at times, from the 1910s to the 2000s, suits still witnessed how women’s participation in the workforce rose from 23.4% to 59.5%.
Blazer With Nothing Underneath: The Judgment on Women’s Appearance Never Stops
With more women entering a company or a country’s decision-making level, it seems that women have obtained economic independence and social status as men do. However, compared to male leaders, female candidates are still facing more judgments about their appearances other than their leaderships. Not their policies or achievements, but their makeup, clothes, shoes, etc. seem more appealing to the media and the public. Recently, Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, was caught up in a sexism debate because of a photo in which she was wearing a smart black trouser suit with a plunging neckline for a fashion magazine’s cover page.
The criticism was mainly about the “inappropriate” appearance of a politician. Some critics claimed that Ms. Marin was “attention-seeking”. Meanwhile, the supporters posted similar images of themselves on social media under the hashtag #imwithsanna, objecting to the long-standing sexism. To protest the double standards for male and female leaders, some supporters also shared topless photos of the male world leaders, which people usually praise for the male leaders’ masculine and tough images. Ironically, only after the photo controversy, many people came to know Ms. Marin — the world’s youngest leader, the youngest prime minister in Finland’s history, and its third-ever female premier.
Op-ed
Viola
- Fashion: A suit can add the “chic” vibe to a look, but the only struggle for me is to find the right season to wear it as the only outwear piece. I am actually not a huge fan of matching suit outfits. My go-to pattern is plaid as I find it relatively easier to style it with something casual for bottoms or skirts.
- Insights: Although suits have already become a wardrobe staple for women, it seems that women are inherently more expected to meet a certain standard of dress code. The movement of ditching bras came in full force in the 1960s, and ever since, countless celebrities have championed this look to support less restrictive clothing for women. They are all safe, but suddenly a woman’s staring profession coupled with young age and impressive leadership skills intimated those sexists. It is honestly extremely frustrating to see how women’s success can invite more misogynist attacks.
Jessie
- Fashion：While there is a trend to mix and match serious clothes with leisure or sportswear, I still categorize blazer as my work and interview look. Not only because the design of a suit or a blazer is not quite comfortable and loose for hangout, but also because, for me, the materials are suitable for indoor activities only. Blazers should be super matching to a spring or autumn look. Sadly, where I live usually has a rather short spring and autumn.
- Insights: I found it is always hard to balance personal freedom of choice and social expectations, especially for public figures. People tend to have a harsher attitude toward a government official’s appearance since his/her choices or appearances, to some extent, represent a government or even a country’s image. However, the disappointing and irritating part of Finland’s prime minister’s news is not about if Ms. Marin “made a bad choice”, but the public’s polarized attitudes toward a similar choice made by different genders. This is sexism. This is a stereotype.
References:
A Brief History of Women’s Suits: https://www.michaelandrews.com/journal/history-womens-suits
100 Years of Feminist HIstory Explained in 10 Women’s Work Suits: https://onlinemba.unc.edu/news/Feminist-History-in-Womens-Work-Suits/
Sanna Marin: Finland PM wears blazer ‘with nothing underneath’, sparking sexism debate: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/sanna-marin-finland-pm-wears-blazer-with-nothing-underneath-sparking-sexism-debate/ar-BB1a6bz1
