Global fashion, down the ages, has often been dictated by a woman’s social standing, it’s time to be kinder to yourself.

Sociologists opine that it’s the fashion quotient that tells us about any civilisation’s social values, taste, outlook and spirit, characteristic of that time ‘and place. For instance, consider the boyish flappers of the 1920s in the West, with their breast-flattening bands and bobbed hair. They were just a subconscious effort to fill in the vacuum left by the First World War’s lost generation of young men.

But, what makes the ’20s look more notable is that it actually gave women more freedom, a rarity in a world where ’style’ is often synonymous with ’social control’.

And all that history has taught us just confirms that women’s fashions are directly proportional to their social standing in comparison with men. Take for instance, Chinese footbinding. This painful and unnecessary procedure was supposed to help women achieve that culture’s measure of beauty – small feet. But female standards of beauty are usually defined by men. Chinese footbinding cripples a woman, making it next to impossible for her to function in the world.

Comfort Vs Fashion

Look back and you’ll see evidence of similar trends in world history. Take for instance, the Victorian crinoline skirt, and the oh-so- uncomfortable bustle, styles that were soon replaced by whalebone corsets and the S-bend silhouette. Not to mention the 20-pound wigs containing bird cages … These fashions evolved out of the thought that ‘you have to suffer to be beautiful’. Disgraceful? Yet this trend in history has not yet, literally, gone out of fashion. But what about the modern and politically correct equality of all men and women, you say. One of the biggest fashion hits this millennium are low-rise pants. And not only are they uncomfortable, you can’t even sit down in them without wondering how much of your behind is peeping out. It’s a subconscious way of saying, “Yeah, sure, women can wear pants … but only as a symbol of their status as women.”

What Women Want

And how can we forget peek-a-boo underwear and stilettos? These styles certainly meet some of the traditional criteria for women’s fashions – they are not comfortable, they restrict movement, and serve as a way of putting women in their place.

It seems the fashions we embrace represent the subconscious tug-of-war between what women long for and what society expects of them. While you’ve got styles like low- rise pants and classics like stiletto heels, there’s also an emerging trend of work wear, utility clothing and individualistic style statements. This just shows that the modern concept of femininity and womanhood is reaching a new level, a standard set by women themselves