Women's Body Exposure in Leisure Wear during the 1930s-Focused on Bathing Suits, Shorts, and Halters-

Abstract

Social reactions to body exposure in American leisure wear (bathing suits, shorts, and halters) in the 1930s were analyzed to provide an understanding of the process of adopting more abbreviated and less-occasion specific styles of garments in women's fashion. The research questions were as follow: How did women expose their bodies in leisure wear during the 1930s? How did the social reaction to women's body exposure in leisure wear change throughout the 1930s? How did the body exposure in women's leisure wear play a significant role in the history of women's fashion? Primary sources were collected from issues of The New York Times published in the 1930s. Topics including dress, fashion, ethics, social ethics, and sexual ethics, were reviewed in The New York Times indices. The findings were analyzed and interpreted with reference to secondary sources that included books and research papers. The results showed that the body exposure of the styles as well as the place where these styles were worn was a public issue. Women were criticized and regulated for body exposure as well as for wearing bathing suits, shorts, and halters on the streets. However, the social regulations that restricted bathing suit styles almost disappeared by the end of the decade. This represented the change of social expectations toward body exposure in the 1930s. In addition, reports of laws that forbade the wearing of bathing suits, halters, and shorts outside of beaches, pools, and parks indicated women's increased attempts to expose their bodies in public places. However, reactions to women's body exposure in leisure wear changed to accept more flexibility in the social customs throughout the decade. These phenomena were a partial step toward the popularization of less occasion-specific styles − sportswear − that took place in the 20th century.