Different styles in women’s clothing starting from the beginning of the 1990s.

For my Paradigm Shift project (for both the essay and the TED talk), I decided to focus on the evolutionary shift in women’s clothing and fashion as it changed from not-so-practical dresses and corsets to more practical, androgynous types of wear. I will highlight important changes in women’s clothing starting at the beginning of the 20th century to now. However, I will provide a deeper focus on the most recent changes of our time. It’s important to note the beginnings of major shifts in women’s clothing which began in the 1910s as trousers became a more definite figure in women’s wardrobe. I will also examine how feminist movements tie directly into these clothing shifts as women started to utilize their clothes in ways to enhance and support their message or agenda. Of course, I will end in our present times by analyzing how previous changes have led to the increase in acceptance we see today of women wearing more “masculine” or androgynous types of clothing.

When considering an audience, I want to focus specifically on the college life/campus setting. Since college forces students to interact with or just see all different types of people, I think it’s important for college students to understand the importance of self-expression and differences in preferences when it comes to fashion choices. Although society has become more accepting of different types of clothing for women, this does not mean that stereotypes and stigmas about certain clothing types still don’t exist. We as students should understand that clothing choices do not define who someone is, and most of the time people wear what they feel most comfortable and confident in. I want people to learn the importance of ignoring the pre-existing stigmas and stereotypes associated with clothing and instead appreciate the opportunities we have to experience such different forms of self-expression.

Sources: 

Paoletti, Jo B. “Clothing and Gender in America: Children’s Fashions, 1890-1920.” Signs, vol. 13, no. 1, 1987, pp. 136–143, www.jstor.org/stable/3174031?seq=2&typeAccessWorkflow=login. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

• Paoletti’s article provides a clear insight into parts of history regarding women’s fashion and clothing choices as he starts with examples of stereotypical “women’s” clothing, and then explains how society has evolved over time to accept women in more practical, masculine-looking clothing. The information from this article is helpful in understanding the progression and evolution of female clothing over time and even how it influenced or correlates with trends in men or children’s clothing over time.  Since he provides specific time periods of such clothing trends, it can help me identify important, influential, and powerful changes for women in this domain so I can justify my claim and express a deeper analysis of how women’s clothing has evolved over time.   

Fashion History Timeline. “Fashion History Timeline | a Hub for Fashion Research.” Fashion History Timeline, fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu.

• The Fashion History Timeline provides one of the most thorough analyses of the evolution of clothing as it provides information starting from the ancient world all the way up until the 21st century. Each decade highlights the major trends in women’s fashion at the time and why these specific articles of clothing were worn and also gives a famous icon from that time period that had an influence on the fashion scene by either advocating or creating new styles of clothing. It also provides tactful information of any historical changes or events during the specified time, which helps the reader understand why clothing was evolving in such a way. I will especially focus on the information given from the 20th century to now, while being able to pinpoint specific clothing trends, icons, influences, and events that prompted the shift.

Perelberg, Dana. “The History of Women’s Movement Fashion – Feminist Fashion History Feminism.” L’Officiel USA, 22 July 2022, www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/womens-movement-feminist-fashion-history.

• Perelberg’s article throughly analyzes the different waves of the feminist movements and how they correlate with clothing changes over time. She specifically pinpoints the activities and evolvement women were getting themselves into as women’s fashion started to change to evolve with said interests. She also highlight specific designers who had influence and supported these changes. All of this information will help me develop my claim of the importance of feminist movements in relation to clothing changes in women in America.

Polyzoidou, Stella. “How Social Movements & Activism Influenced Fashion?” TheCollector, 25 July 2021, www.thecollector.com/how-social-movements-activism-influenced-fashion-history/.

• Much like Perelberg’s article, Polyzoidou also analyzes the impact of social movements activism, in regards to feminism, on women’s clothing evolution. However, she dives deeper into the styles and colors of the clothing as they signify and represent different messages and ideas of said movements (for example, purple during the suffrage movements as worn to represent one’s loyalty and dignity). This will help me understand why certain clothing shifts were created and be able to provide deeper meaning into why the changes were important. I will also be able to make connections with the clothing of today and possibly pinpoint similar representations or even identify new ones.

Friedman, Vanessa, and Guy Trebay. “The End of Gender.” The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/fashion/the-end-of-gender.html.

• This New York Times article highlights a discussion between two critics who talk about the changes in fashion on the runway and how designers have started to embrace the idea of androgynous clothing. They examine recent fashion shows and emphasis how designers are dressing up their women models in more “masculine”, androgynous clothes and pinpoint the shift in male model fashion as well. They even mention different view points on the changes and provide multiple examples of famous designers who have started to embrace the progressive trend. This will help me develop my analysis of the fashion of today, showcasing its importance and acknowledgement in the actual fashion industry and not just in regular society.

“Androgynous Fashion – Everything You Need to Know.” TomboyX, 25 Oct. 2022, tomboyx.com/blogs/news/androgynous-fashion-what-to-know. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.

• This article focuses solely on the evolution of androgynous fashion and even provides a strong definition of what it means. It also highlights various famous androgynous fashion icons and pinpoints the specific pieces they wore that conveyed this type of style. This information will help me build upon the overall idea and increasing acceptance of this type of clothing and how it has been increasingly incorporated into new fashion trends and styles for women’s clothing.

For my rhetorical analysis essay, I choose to analyze the artifact of musical artist Alessia Cara’s song and music video “Scars To Your Beautiful”, in correlation with Dove Self-Esteem Project’s artifact of the advertisement called “Reverse Selfie” (more on this artifact in previous posts). Here is my in-progress essay outline…

Introduction: Take a minute to observe others in your surroundings- chances are you will find multiple people hunchbacked, eyes glued to a glowing rectangle, and fingers swiping endlessly in an up-and-down motion. It’s a high probability that these individuals are scrolling through some sort of social media platform. Due to expansions in technology, we now see increases in the levels of screen time, especially in our youth. Younger generations look to social media influencers and models for inspiration, but instead compare themselves to these “perfect” people which ultimately lowers their self-esteem. “Reverse Selfie” is an advertisement created by Dove, a skin-care company, that illustrates the detrimental effects social media and photo editing cause for our youth. The video begins with a heavily edited selfie of a young girl who modified herself to look older. In reverse, the video depicts the picture as it starts to undo the edits she created, until eventually, we see the girl in her natural state, looking defeated on her bed. To end the advertisement, Dove acknowledges the fact that the pressures of social media and the beauty standard are harming our girl’s self-esteem and they encourage everyone to have #TheSelfieTalk. Dove, being a popular brand that emphasizes restoring one’s natural beauty, has successfully reached millions of youth with their efforts in combating lower levels of confidence. Similarly, musical artist Alessia Cara decided to call action to this issue through her song and music video, “Scars To Your Beautiful”.

Thesis: With such strong advocation for the idea that “true beauty lies within”, both “Reverse Selfie” and “Scars To Your Beautiful”, employ rhetorical techniques, most effectively incorporating pathos, which analyzes or strengthens the audience’s emotional state to appeal to their goal of educating youth on the importance of self-love and the harmful effects of the beauty standard.

Main Points:

• Starting with a brief background, including the origins of the second artifact, the artist’s reasons for creating it, and any other important information that could relate to the artifacts appeal of either ethos, pathos, or logos.
•  Provide examples of effective uses of ethos and logos in both the music video and the lyrics. Specifically focusing on how she develops a trusting character and how the structure of both the video and lyrics help the audience correlate the message with the everyday ups and downs of life.
  • Although both rhetorical techniques play an important role in expanding and understanding the message, the use of pathos alone proves to be the most effective overall.
• Provide compelling examples of the artist’s use of pathos in both the music video and lyrics used.
  • Express a throughly developed analysis of how appealing to the emotional state her audience is already in, has a more effective impact of conveying and presenting her message as compared to ethos and logos.

Conclusion: Alessia Cara pushes the rhetorical boundaries of ethos and logos by showcasing herself as a common, trustworthy individual and purposely structuring her music video and lyrics in a way that allows the audience to relate the issue to everyday life. However, her most effective rhetorical techniques lies in her powerful usage of pathos. (Briefly re-list all the pathos examples from body paragraph). (Conclusion is still a work in progress…)

Here, I also highlight the sources I am using for this essay and how they connect to the artifact:

1. Stutz, Colin. “Alessia Cara Opens up about Her Struggle with Hair Loss That Inspired ‘Scars to Your Beautiful.’” Billboard, 10 Aug. 2016, www.billboard.com/music/pop/alessia-cara-hair-loss-scars-to-your-beautiful-7468466/. This source is a summary of an interview that was conducted with Alessia Cara after her song came it. In the interview she explains the reasons why she felt the need to make such a song, and why she feels so passionate to get her message across. The explanation of her struggles of self-confidence helps build ethos with her audience since she can relate to what others are going through.
2. Selby, Daniele. “Singer Alessia Cara Is a Determined Force for Positive Change.” Global Citizen, Sept. 2017, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/alessia-cara-gcf2017-festival-here/#:~:text=Her%20song%20%E2%80%9CScars%20to%20YourMTV%202017 %20Video%20Music%20Awards. This source also encompasses multiple quotes from Alessia Cara that clearly state her goals for releasing such a song. It also touches on the impact the song has had on different groups of people and how it has become an anthem of self-love. Both contribute to the development of ethos and pathos in the artifact.
3. Love, Alessia Cara Lyric Analysis by Makayla. “Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (Song Lyric Analysis.” prezi.com, prezi.com/isy5_9ckxwuu/scars-to-your-beautiful-by-alessia-cara-song-lyric-analysis. This source details a lyrical analysis of the song, drawing attention to specific metaphors, hyperboles, and personification used throughout the song. It also does a short dive into the rhetorical devices of the artifact. This helps with a better overall understanding of the ethos, pathos, and logos used effectively throughout it.
4. AlessiaCaraVEVO. “Alessia Cara – Scars to Your Beautiful (Official Video).” YouTube, 11 July 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWASeaYuHZo. This is the link to the actual music video which depicts the artist in an empty space but also pans to different types of people as they say some encouraging words or talk about their own experiences. The video along with the lyrics heavily contributes to the pathos of the artifact and the structure of the video helps expand its logos.

Alessia Cara’s Know-It-All Album Cover