Some opening thoughts
‘Dress is the most fleeting of the arts, a prey to the arbitrary dictates of novelty and the attacks of critics, subject to endless speculation – and quite meaningless out of historical context. It is, on the other hand, the only art that relates so closely to the narrative of our lives, both as individuals and in relation to the wider world; for clothing is simultaneously intensely personal (a reflection of our self-image) and, as fashion, it is, in the words of Louis XIV ‘the mirror of history’.
In almost any age or culture, women have grown up with a sense that they will, in some way, be judged by how they look. Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) encapsulated this in her statement ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’. As long as a woman’s role and function are determined by a patriarchal society, ‘she is all the Other. And, as the other, she is other than herself, other than what is expected of her’ (p. 229).
For many women as they grow, expectations from others on how they will conduct themselves and present their bodies becomes internalised and indistinguishable from their sense of self, experienced as part of their own desires. The body becomes an object to be worked on and controlled, with a constant sense of an ‘other’ watching and judging. Self-objectification, viewing their bodies as if from the outside, becomes a part of their self-image. For de Beauvoir, women are themselves an ‘other’ because they are created by civilisation not nature; a woman sees herself and she sees herself being seen. For many women it is difficult to imagine one’s clothes without also imaging how one will be seen by others. Thus, for women, their experience of clothes is laden with meanings beyond simply covering the body in an appropriate manner.
Expectations for a woman come from many quarters, her parents and family members, friendship groups and, once she is married, her husband and his family. Seeing oneself as part of a group can be a powerful boost to self-esteem, bringing an urge to conform. However, in order to perform her expected function, she may compare herself to others around her. She may also self-monitor her behaviour, anxiously constructing whatever seems to be the required front for that occasion. She will perform her role in whatever form she feels appropriate to the situation, a function described by Erwin Goffman in his dramaturgical metaphor. For Goffman, not only the individual but also the function of the group as a whole is important, and pressure to conform may be applied by that group as a whole at moments of perceived threat to their identity.
This is not to say that a woman has no autonomy. Within a group there may be a wish to show individuality, but this likely to be manifested within the expected parameters. The front presented may conceal other activities that need to be kept hidden, or are simply irrelevant to the current situation. Thus, she may weave a path of seeming conformity while at the same time exercising autonomy elsewhere. It is this desire to exercise autonomy within the constraints of a powerful society grouping that is the subject of this research.
If a woman’s identity is bound up with her body and self-presentation then clothes take on greater significance, they can shape the experience of an event positively or negatively. They can also become endowed with personal significance, enabling the wearer to perform a particular role. They can become a part of the body, a fluid boundary with the outside world.