A Study on the Feminism in Contemporary Fashion Design

현대패션에 표현된 페미니즘에 관한 연구

In this paper we discuss the corelation be-tween feminism and fashion and examine its influnce on mordern fashion. And we also try to infer what the fashion design will be like in the future by understanding the value of modern fashion from a new viewpoint. The Early Feminism which advocated the similarity between man and women held the thought that women could be equal to men only when they behaved in the same way as men did, In 1970s when the pendulum of the Early Feminism movement reached its highest point a manish look began to flourish. The manish look introduced the items once employed only for men such as trench costs tidy tailored suits shirts and ties to women clothes. It has taken root deeply in women's life and is still employed in various ways by many designers. From the late 1970s the pendulum of feminism movement began to swing toward the Essentialist Feminism which emphasized the differences between men and women. It focused not on the negative image of women seen from male-oriented viewpoints but on their positive image and stressed women's sexual characteristic to make distinction between two genders. in fashion the Essentialist Feminism played a role in bringing about a sexy look which stressed the erotic silhouette of woman's body. The latest feminism is the socio-cultural one. It sees the distinction between men and women as sexual discrimination and introduces the androgynous human which carries the characteristic of two sexes. it leads to ambiguity of sex roles and at the same time serves to make androgynous social atmosphere by admitting the coexistence of two genders. The androgynous idea in fashion is expressed as a new trend which crosses men and women's own beauty while keeping their own identity intact. As we have briefly reviewed feminism in fashion has been presented in various ways with regard to expressing the nature of men and women. And it has continuously indicated the ultimate message of the salvation of mankind such as the respect for humanity and recovery of humanism.