Women’s empowerment has never been more talked about the subject than today. As more and more women are getting aware of their rights and making a stand for themselves, we are seeing a shift in the day-to-day trends. However, this revolution had to start somewhere. There must have been the first woman to do everything. The first woman to drive, the first woman to work, the first woman to compete in sports. When we talk about work, we talk about the dress code. There was a certain code followed by women of the previous era. However, there was the first woman to break it and wear something different. Let us talk about the first woman to wear pants!
Elizabeth Smith Miller, a powerful and iconic member of the suffragette movement in the 18th century, was the very first woman to flaunt a sleek pair of pants. She was driven and determined to help the woman of the US obtain their right to vote, along with supporting the cause of slaves who seek freedom from their masters.
Back in the 1800s, pants were referred to as pantaloons, and together with the assistance of another fellow suffragette, Amelia Jenks Bloomer, Miller turned a pair of pants into a powerful symbol of feminine rebellion. Amelia was the publisher of The Lily, a bi-weekly newspaper that featured her views on the issues and temperance faced by women in American society. The Lily also featured the articles of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, another powerful member of the feminist suffragette community. Together, these powerful women not only expressed their views on equality and freedom for women but also promoted the notions of dress reform.
Amelia Bloomer and her fellows promoted the need for a non-restrictive dress style that allowed women to express their femininity without wearing hideous corsets, floor-length skirts that got in the way and petticoats.
Upon reading Bloomer’s articles in The Lily, Elizabeth decided to design a pair of pants for herself, who was long, flowy and baggy with a distinctive bohemian vibe, narrowed at the ankle and to be worn underneath the skirts. The purpose of these pants was to allow women greater freedom of movement without diminishing their elegance and modesty. After Miller showcased this amazing style trend, other women began to follow her style, and others even criticized her audacity. It is interesting to note that most of the women who wore these pants were active members of the suffragette and women’s rights movements.
Several other sources reveal that Fanny Wright, a US citizen of Scottish descent, was the first woman to wear pants in 1825. She was a popular feminist, social reformer, abolitionist, and writer, along with being the co-founder of the Free Inquirer, a newspaper that published her societal views. She became an iconic figure for her bohemian dress code of dresses with knee-high slits, loose bodices, and ankle-length pants.
Needless to say, all women like Elizabeth Miller, Fanny Wright, and Amelia Bloomer made powerful contributions to the movement of women’s equality by liberating the dress codes of women and helping them move away from the uncomfortable and constricting trends of suffocating corsets and restricting petticoats.
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