Journal 16

There was a major dress reform in the late 19th century. This reform was very historic for women in which they were finally treated fairly and became active participants in society. This reform stemmed from the Progressive Era and during that era feminism became a much popular topic.

This lead to more active clothing rather than all the types of clothing that made them look pretty. It became known that corsets were dangerous for women to wear and doctors were supporting this reform as well. Some doctors said that women should only be wearing no more than 6.5 pounds of undergarments compared to the typical 13 pounds that they would wear in earlier years. More activewear was made for women as well rather than the typical “pretty” dress so women could be more active. Their clothing was still modest, though, and covered their legs.