Style is an identity. As our society and culture has grown, it has allowed women to identify with themselves as individuals, when that was not possible in times such as the 1960’s. What a woman wears to school now is a definition of who they are, no matter if they’re wearing a band t-shirt, pajamas, combat boots, a cheerleading uniform, or a tie-dye shirt with a peace symbol.
Analyzing the Skip Jack I realized that a woman's attire was very repetitive and bland no matter the situation. In the yearbook there is a young woman photographed in a skirt and blouse and on the next page the same thing, and the next, and the next, until I reached the very last page. Every young woman looked the same. I began researching the styles and etiquette of the 1960's and discovered that women were not allowed pants or shorts in school, and jeans, never. Individuality in women was not promoted or celebrated.
The equality of women to men and their rights began to flourish from 1960’s to about the 1980's and the boundaries that held women faded. Today, you would be able to instantly know about a woman from a glance at the style they're portraying. Who their friends are, what club they belong to, what club they don’t belong to, and one or more of the interests. Take the movie Mean Girls for example, the opening sequence is introducing all of the cliques and they all have a distinct style. The movie is fiction but the styling is all fact for girls in school. A tiny detail such as having the right to choose an outfit to wear to school can be the start of defining your character, a way to express who you are without repercussions, a life that is yours.
Now women are not only able to wear pajamas to class if they wish but they are originals not copies. Women have a choice to be themselves. Before equality of rights and even sometime after, having a life not dictated by norms was a dream. (word count 349)
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