Name: Grace 12/8/16 Humanities Colonial Research Paper 7B
Corsets’ Kill: Beauty and Fashion in Colonial America
Imagine being locked up in your house all day, forced to dress a certain way, also to look and act in a way that gained approval from men. All your decisions were influenced by society. You had to obey your husband and never question his choices. You were his trophy, his prized possession. You had to make your family name proud. While women in Colonial America were very important to the development of the colony and to the development of fashion, they were controlled and restricted by many demands. Powhatan fashion was also important to the development of fashion but in different ways.
Fashion and beauty were meant to show culture, the way the Powhatans used it. There were some women who went too far with it. Fashion began to be unaffordable and sometimes even cruel. Many fashion statements were unhealthy for the growth of the body. For example, the corset. Corsets would make your waist look smaller and sometimes people would tied theirs so tight they could barely breath. In Colonial America women dressed according to the different standards of beauty depending on class, age and most importantly, culture. The three diverse cultures dressed almost the complete opposite of each other because of their different background and beliefs. Women’s clothing and physical appearance reflected their culture and racial background as well as their rank and gender. Most powhatan clothing was designed specifically for each season. Most clothing had tassels of the end for two reasons. The fringe helped swat bug and make their dresses dry faster. When women would walk through the first and marshy lands bugs would get attracted to them. They had to have clothes that prevented them from getting too many bug bites.
In Colonial America wigs represented your social standing. They made it easy to separate the social classes because only the gentry class could afford wigs. The gentry men and women wore wigs made of yak, human or horse hair. Wigs were be worn on special occasions and on a daily basis. Women wore wigs styled with their hair up high and out of their face, it was considered informal to leave your hair down. Wigs were important to people in the gentry class because it made them look and feel presentable to the other gender. Wigs started getting popular in the early 18th century and started to go out of style when America declared independence from England. Men were jealous of women’s long and luxurious hair but it took too long to grow. The gentry men would offer to pay poor people more if they made wigs for them. As this trend caught on, men, gentry and middling wanted long hair. This is important because social standing and wealth were all that mattered to the gentry class and wigs were an easy way to show your wealth because they were very expensive. One wig cost about as much as a whole piece of land so the people who wore wigs were the men and women who had the land, the food, and the money. And as for poor, people they didn’t prioritize hair because they didn’t have the money to preserve it. Lower class never really wore wigs because they didn’t have enough time or money. Wigs demonstrated how important hair style was to colonists, but wigs and hair in general had an additional purpose in early America.
In the 18th century scientists proved that hair could be used for medical purposes. Hair could protect women from the harsh rays from the sun and from temperature regulation. This was important because women didn’t have to spend more money on umbrellas and bonnets to protect your head and your scalp. In the 18th century doctors proved that if a man or a woman’s hair was healthy then so was their body. Doctors recommended maintaining and preserving hair for health reasons. “Some scientists think hair remained on the head for temperature regulation or to protect the head from the sun’s rays. Others think it has a social function, or to help in mate selection. It could be that healthy hair was a sign of overall health. Someone with good hair could be considered a potential husband or wife. Or hair could simply be an ornament to attract people, like a peacock tail or a mandrill’s blue face.” (page 5; Sullivan, Laura L) This is important because this made it easier for people in the middling class to check their health because you didn’t have to spend all your money on doctors. Although hair was a very important factor to european fashion that represented social standing so was what you wore. Undergarments, an important aspect of clothing in the Colonial era, said a lot about European fashion and beauty.
In the Colonial Era women were required to wear many layers all year round. The first layer was a simple dress called a shift that was the base of all outfits. They shift was a long simple dress that didn’t cost a lot of money and everyone could afford. Some of the the layers were unnecessary but most were just required so that all women had the same “perfect” body frame. For example hoops and stays were uncomfortable, unnecessary undergarments that interfered with everyday life. Stays were a thick piece of clothing worn around the waist to decrease a woman’s waist line. Women were pressured into wearing these comfortable undergarments by men and society. All men wanted women to look the same mostly referring to a woman’s body stenci. And it’s not fair that women are being forced into unnecessary clothing just for a male’s benefits. And most of these undergarments were not only bad for a woman’s self esteem but for their health. For example the stay. Most women used stays to make their waist look thinner. But in the process they were actually hurting their back and increasing their waistline by about 2 inches. The Hoop didn’t do any physical harm but it was a main factor to the “perfect” body stencil. Hoops were made of wire and covered in fabric. They were used to hold the shape of a gown and make a woman’s hips look bigger and their waist look smaller. Most undergarments were used for bad and unnatural reason but one good thing about undergarments is that it didn’t reflect rank.
In Colonial America women couldn’t be separated by their clothing. All women wore the same undergarments. The only differences consisted of different fabrics such as silk, satin, and sewn with lace. Most women didn’t care what their undergarments looked like and their reasoning was simple. Undergarments were worn under clothing very rarely would these garments be seen by the public. But the gentry women prioritized looking “perfect” on the outside as well as the inside. They wanted the latest stockings, shoes, stays, hoops sewn with silk and lace. The gentry women would spend extra money on undergarments because they wanted “the help” to realize how powerful they were. “Being fashionable involved more than just wearing the latest clothing. Women had to be dressed properly underneath their gowns, too! Colonial women wore several undergarments including a shift, stays, stockings, petticoats, pockets, and hoops. Undergarments were made of cotton, linen, or silk. The undergarments of wealthy women were made of finer materials than those of working women, they owned more of them” (Page 20; Walker, Kiki) This is important because undergarments weren’t supposed to reflect rank but some women felt it necessary to stand out in every circumstance. Undergarments varied because of gender and race, some women were more privileged than others and used that to their advantage.
In the Colonial Era gender and race completely took over what you were allowed to wear. Race changed what you wore because it affected you wadge. People had lived in a society where difference was looked down upon especially if the difference consisted of gender and race. So that means that women were not given jobs for very naive reasons. Lucky for these women clothing prices varied. For the most part all clothing was the same. Although the gentry women had more “ fashionable” clothing they were all the same format. The only difference was the fabric the dress was made of. The gentry class owned dresses made of silk, satin, linen, and lace. Their gowns could also be more intricate designed with jewels, ruffles and patterns.
Gender changes what you wore because women weren’t allowed to wear beeches and men weren’t allowed to wear dresses. The only exception for wearing breeches was if you rode horses which was very rare. This wasn’t fair because all clothing was made for women assuming their preference stereotypically. The 18th century was a time of ignorance because clothing only represented the “girly” stereotypical side of women which doesn’t leave room for women to figure out their gender. This wasn’t just true for women. Men were dressed stereotypically assuming a man’s clothing preference. But race and gender didn’t just affect what you wore, it affected your social standing completely.
In the 18th century race and gender changes how you were looked at by the society. People who weren’t white, wealthy, male and protestant were automatically lower on the hierarchy. This means that even if you were catholic and had a different religious belief that the protestant church you would be placed lower on the hierarchy. Also African Americans were racially targeted and turned into slaves which automatically lowered their ranck to the very bottom. This is important because people were punished for individuality. This effected that you wore because your social standing determined how wealthy you were.
“In the 1600s, clothing spoke volumes about one’s identity. National and ethnic background, age, gender, social and economic status, religious and political affiliations were all expressed, consciously and unconsciously, through clothing. In the strongly hierarchical societies of this period, acquaintances and strangers alike knew where they stood in relation to one another—just by understanding the code of appearance. During this century, rapid growth of European colonies, social and political upheaval in Europe, and developments in the clothing trades caused changes in the way people dressed and in how their clothes were produced and acquired.” ( lib resources)
The following quote states that social appearance was a big part of a person’s life. Meaning that all decision a woman made relating to clothing, jobs, spouses all were to uplift their social standing. This is kinda unreasonable considering this was the main focus of a gentry womans life. As some people took society lightly women were the ones who it impacted the most. Although society treated some women well others were racially dehumanized by it. For example if you were african American you couldn’t have any other job that a slave. There was no exception for men or protestant believers. Society would automatically judge you for being a different or having different believes. There for you had no interest in society because you had bigger problems to worry about.
Another example is women. Women could never be higher that their spouse. A woman could be higher that a middling class man or a slave but never higher than the men of their class. This was over all bad for society because a lot of women and african Americans were much better workers that some white men and they were denied jobs because of their gender and race.
In the 18th century women’s rights were beginning to take over fashion. Most women wanted to own land. The middling class women couldn’t own land because not even their husbands owned land. But the Gentry class wanted to own land so they could buy slaves and make more money for themselves. Because only unmarried women could own land some women would choose to not marry or not remarry. This is important because in the 18th century gentry women didn’t own the clothes on their body and the money and jewelry that they earned. All the women belonging would belong to the man of the family. Most gentry women would choose not to work because they didn’t have to. The men in the family would work and bring home money, food, and clothes for the family. Some women wanted to earn the things that they owned and make their own money. Women could own the same amount of land as men as long as they were part of the gentry class. But these women and men had to be white, protestant and over the age of 21.
In Colonial America Gentry women were pressured to marry wealthy because they had to keep the families same wealthy. Women would choose to marry wealthy men for their own pleasures not for love. Once a woman’s husband died they didn’t have to remarry but they would be judged by society. Gentry women who didn’t work were supposed to stay home and look pretty the the husband could show her off. Gentry women who married didn’t really have a purpose in society rather that to attend parties and keep money running in the family.
Slaves weren’t allowed to own land because they were owned. Women and men had the same rights. All slaves were treated the same and giving the same jobs.
Women didn’t get paid as much as men. A women could work twice as hard and still get his money. The gentry class women didn’t work because the men made all the money. Women would use the money to buy clothes and their needs.
In Early America clothing determined your social standing. Women with good fashion sense were higher on the hierarchy. In society fabrics showed good fashion sense. Because only wealthy women could afford the fancy fabrics they stood out from the crown. Besides fabrics clothing was mostly the same for all classes. Wealthy women were the ones with the “fashion sense” because they were the only ones that could afford a closet full of clothing.
In the colonial era women used heritage to their advantage. If your family was rich so were you. Because women didn’t work the inherited their families wealth and belongings. Women could inherit money, wealth and reputation. Wealthy families started out wealthy, they were never poor. And because social standing was based around wealth the hierarchy was a rank of how wealthy you were. In colonial America in order to get respect in society was if you were a protestant, white, land owner.
In the Colonial America women were denied rank because of gender. Women could only be higher than men if they were in a lower class. Whatever history books say, gentry women were treated better than most men. Because the population of the gentry class was very few the women represented in that class got more respect than most men.
People were also separated by race on the hierarchy. African American men and women got no respect what so ever in society they weren’t even treated like people. Africans could be sold and even though they worked the hardest and should have been payed the most they were ignored and neglected.
In the Colonial Era women dressed according the the standards of beauty. There were different standards of beauty for the three cultures. For the english women were pressured by society to meet standards. Women wore undergarments to shape their body into unhealthy shapes for no reason other than to please a spouse. Native American women didn’t go through the trouble of making very specific standards for a woman’s body but they did have ways of showing your ranck through clothing. Women decorated themselves with bright tattoos and painted them selves to show origin and heritage not for society benefits.
Powhatan tribe dress specifically so that their clothing reflected their jobs and rank. The reason for this was so when other tribes visited the knew exactly who everyone was and what jobs they had. The men dressed basically the same aside from cultural differences like face paint colors. But as for the women little details on clothes and hair showed separation in society. But over all people didn’t wear much clothing. Since they adjusted to the weather so well because they spent all their time outside, they only needed to wear one layer. “They only wore what they needed.” (powhatan interviewee, 18 October) This is important because unlike the english they preserved their resources and didn’t rely on the comments of peers. And because powhatans were united with nature and made their clothing out of animals they used every part of the animal. Clothing was made by women and was made seasonally. There was a different style for every season that got reused every year by families and passes down from generations. Women took pride in their hair like the english because hear lengths showed rank. Unmarried women shaved their hair half way back to show that they were looking for a spouse. Children shaves their hair completely back until age 13 when they were allowed to let their hair grow out. This was important to society because /native Americans were viewed by other tribes and they were judged based on their hair lengths and clothing.
African American women didn’t pay much attention to beauty and social rank. Every women had fashion sense and desire to look nice for their spouse but their main priority was staying alive and earning back their freedom. Women and men wore hand me downs from their masters. Some masters like the ones on the Shirley Plantation would hire seamstresses to sew clothing for the slaves. Masters took pride in their slaves, they liked to show them off like pets at a fair. Masters would sometimes hire seamstresses to make clothes for the slaves. The reason behind all of this is that the fields are in front of the house and when guests drive in they would see the slaves working to the masters want the slaves to look nice or nicer than normal for bragging reasons. Sometimes slaves would get old clothes of the mistress or the master. The woman of the wealthy class would insist to never wear a dress to a ball more than once so they would give their old gowns to the slaves.The only reason that the masters would dress the slaves up is because they saw them a objects and not as people and having nice dress slaves would reflect the family’s wealth. This is racist because the gentry saw slaves as objects and or blind mannequins when they were the ones being blinded from fairness. I can infer that the clothing that the slaves were getting were out of style or in bad shape.
In Colonial America makeup and accessories were used by women to elevate their social class. All makeup was made from the apothecary and was made from “natural” ingredients. Which was not true, most lip and eye make up were made of blood or bugs. It was very rare for the middling class to wear makeup because the apothecary was very expensive but it no matter what is it not a man’s job to tell a woman what she can and can’t wear. Most women gentry or middling class were accused by men of being a prostitute because of the tone of their make up. Being accused of this inaccurate assumption could destroy a woman’s reputation in society. And many women lost self confidence because of this act.
Women in the 18th Century would take any measure to portray themselves as graceful and beautiful. Women used gloves, masks and makeup to achieve a look of pure beauty. Gloves and masks would be worn in the winter and summer to protect delicate skin from the elements and achieve a fair complexion. I can infer that because at this time Europeans were enslaving Native Americans and African Americans that it was considered a disgrace to the Colony and Gentry Class (the slave owners) to have dark skin. One thing that I find unfair is the fact that the Gentry Class would wear aprons as accessories to embellish their gowns, not for practical purposes. Poor women wore aprons to protect their everyday garments from dirt and other things while laboring. Wealthy women also used fans made of silk or satin as accessories. These fans could be plain and simple or adorned with beads and embroidery. Women used fans to keep themselves cool and to flirt with young men.
In the 18th century women also expresses themselves with their shoes. The shoes that these women wore were imported from London by milliners. Some were fastened with lace and others with buckles. Women took pride in their shoes because they reflected their wealth and social standing. Buckles were preferred for casual attire because they could switch the buckles to create different looks. I can infer that from a poor woman’s perspective, that seeing new accessories everyday on the shoes of other women made them want to marry wealthier men s that they could enjoy the same luxuries. I don’t think this was fair because the work of other women was not recognized or valued as much.
Some women used excessorise for the wrong reason like impressing a male or for selfish reasons. But just like in society today some women and girls like to mess with fashion and experiment fabrics and shoes. Although gentry women didn’t work, the middling women worked long and hard and they were fond of fashion chose their jobs based on preference. I think that we as a society then and now look at the women population as a group not as unique individuals like we are. Because not all women tied their stays super tight and spent tons of time and money on hair. This is important because as men were treating women so harshly and picking them based on what they looked like on the outside that some women felt the need to over dress themselves to they could feel wanted.
Women were constantly judged by society and by men. Women in the Colonial era were dehumanized and used as trophies, not like the strong independent people we’ve become. Clothing separates women into racial groups. Clothing and social standing was an unfair ranking of wealth. Women were influenced by society to spend money on new “fashionable” clothes to elevate their social standing. Social standing today is still a ranking of wealth. Today women are pressured by the media too look like the women in magazines and dress like celebrities. Women should be confident in their jobs, wealth, clothing, and in their own bodies. If we learned anything from Colonial America, it is that women shouldn’t be treated like objects and they shouldn’t have to impress anyone.