Date of Award

Spring 2023

Degree Type

Honors Project

School

College of Liberal Arts

First Advisor

Katharine Bjork

Abstract

This research investigates the role of the miniskirt in reflecting the concept of femininity as understood in London and abroad throughout the 1960s and 70s. Data is drawn from primary sources from the 1960s including newspapers, advertisements, and firsthand accounts related to wearers of miniskirts in London. Particular attention is given to the supposed “revolutionary” status of Mary Quant, who is commonly credited with popularizing the miniskirt and thus ushering in an era of emancipation in female dress. While the miniskirt is preserved in historical memory as an icon of youth revolution and sexual liberation, more emphasis should be given to the wearers of the garment for transforming the miniskirt from a product of the male gaze to an active assertion of female agency. This research recognizes the miniskirt as a vehicle through which young women demonstrated their autonomy and centers the miniskirt wearers—rather than designers—as the architects of fashion and popular culture in “Swinging London.”

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

Departmental Honors Projects

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