retail empowerment

i also really enjoyed Enstad's discussion of the ways in which working-class women harnessed fashion as a means of empowerment. i loved that these women striked out of a desire for, among other things of course, a place to hang their hats. since my final research project is on fashion and consumerism, this struck a chord with me especially because i often think, as Enstad is also refuting, that fashion is seen as another example of women's "frivolity." fashion doesn't matter, because it is what women are primarily concerned with. but as Enstad argues so undeniably, fashion is an extension of political, social, and individual values.

the hat, the French heels, the cheap dresses–while they are symbols of the poor quality of clothes allocated to working women, they are conversely symbols of the way in which working women expected to be treated. clothing has always been steeped in purpose since the beginning of human history, and today whether or not we believe we are fashion-conscious, we always are nevertheless very socially conscious of what we put on our bodies every day, and of what we expect from others based on what we wear. you don't wear your tuxedo to class without at least understanding that someone, somewhere, is going to look at you differently. these women struggled against a division of clothing-construction that sought to keep them from elevating themselves to the status of the middle class; and yet they used these same cheap items as very powerful tools for advocating for their status as ladies. the poorly made shoes and hats that the middle class declared were evidence of their vulgarity and impurity, became part of the visual discourse that working-class women created to advocate for themselves.

i was also struck by the fact that buying hats and shoes was a way that women demonstrated the value of their own labor. as Enstad points out, the traditional–and respected–icon of the worker was male, skilled, and probably wearing some boots. the pride of a young working-class man was that he could have enough leftover money to buy himself some finery. the yield from a woman's labor, however, was seen as the property of her father, or if she were married, of her husband. what women produced was not only considered less valuable, but it wasn't even considered their labor at all (bet those families would notice the difference in income of the "non-labor" were that girl to lose her job, however). consequently the wearing of hats and shoes was a major statement for women to visibly demonstrate their own sense of self-worth. one of my proudest moments of high school was taking the money i had earned from the first paycheck of my first job, and buying myself an expensive and pretty roxy wristwatch from the jewelry store in my town. i still wear that watch.