Women’s fashion has come a long way. In the 1850s, the major innovation in women’s fashion was the cage crinoline. Women would then move towards wearing up to six layers of petticoat. Over time women’s fashion has continually evolved. This article looks at this evolution throughout history to help us understand why women tend to care more about fashion than men.

1900 to 1910

In this first decade of 1900, women’s clothing was both lavish and cumbersome. Women’s fashion was characterised by clothes having an S-shaped figure. The figure emanated from clothing that pushed the chest forwards and the hips back, creating an S shape. Women also wore clothed that fitted them tightly. Generally, being feminine was portrayed as being slim and tall with widespread hips.

The 1920’s

In the 1920s, women clothing adopted a more casual form. Young women started to show little respect for behavioural norms. Women adopted a carefree attitude and an easy-going style. Having a straight figure, short hair, and a small chest was considered beautiful for women. Women of this time were expected to be extra slim and thus exercised often and lived on a diet.

The 1930’s to 1940s

This was the period of the great depression, which was characterised by a women’s fashion that moved towards simple traditional dresses. Skirts were lengthier while shoulders were broader and women had to have a natural waistline. Clothes such as simple jackets become available. Women weren’t expected to have a look that seemed too skinny.  The clothes they wore had to emphasise their feminine features, such as making them look curvy.

The 1950’s

An ideal woman in 1950 was required to have a full-figured look. Here Hollywood was famous for coming up with fashion icons such as Marilyn Monroe and increasing the women fashion choices present in the period. Society’s expectation needed women to have perfect skin and leave home with make-up and generally looking flawless. There was lots of pressure on women to enhance their looks in the 1950s.

The 1960’s

The 1960s saw a radical change from what had been witnessed in the 1950s. Here women were expected to have twiggy bodies with no curves and shapes. Twiggy was a popular model of the 1960s and pressured women to become as skinny as they could. Generally, this era was characterised by women having small hips, a minimal chest and a boyish figure. The hippie look would develop in the late 1960s.

The 1970’s

The ideal body shape in the 70s was a thin one. Women were increasingly encouraged not to have a big chest and curves and to lose additional body fat. In their quest to fit this new demand, some women became dangerously thin. Minimum make-up also characterised the 70s while hair was kept long; this helped attain a natural face.

The 1980’s

The thin build and hard body concept emerged in the 1980s. Supermodels also arose and influenced the women’s fashion of the time. In this era, the desirable body for a woman was a toned one but which was not excessively muscular. The Media greatly influenced women’s fashion in the 1980s. It pushed them to be slender, while also emphasising on height. Some popular clothing included leg warmers, headbands and short skirts that were made of spandex.

The 1990’s

The trends of the 1990s were influenced by supermodels such as Pamela Anderson’. Stress was placed on slim women with big chests. The expectations of the 1990’s opposed much of what was present in the ’80s. In the 90’s it was expected that women should be skinny.

2000 to present

Even at present women’s fashion revolves around body image. Expectations still pressure women to be well dressed, look flawless and perfect. In the 2000s fashion is characterised by a blending of preceding vintage styles, ethnic and global clothing and fashions from the various subcultures of music.  Young women around 25 years prefer a casual dressy style. Dominant fashion among women includes tank-tops, hip-huggers, boot cut jeans, cargo pendants, hoodies, cropped jackets, white belts, and crocs. Today there have emerged many popular fashion stores offering women clothing. To help women select reputable fashion stores, they should read reviews of these stores. zaful UK reviews can be helpful.

In conclusion, in this article, we can see how women fashion has evolved from early 1900 up to today. From this history, we can deduce that social expectations have always influenced women’s fashion, which can explain why women care more about fashion than their male counterparts.