Femininity And Masculinity Throughout The Twentieth Century

I am going to compare these two images and discuss the idea that trousers were such a big step for hegemonic femininity and masculinity at the time and the threat to the ideology that they posed surrounding the idea of gender representation and sexuality throughout the 20th century. I’m going to discuss the way the two photographs are portrayed by poses, clothing and the times they were taken.

Previously women were only permitted by law in some places to wear trousers while cycling and during certain activities. Sport gave freedom to women to wear masculine clothing as they were a lot more practical and didn’t restrict movement. Even though they could wear them for such occasions it was still too much of a big step to the independence of women and the indemnity the gender held at the time even although the wearing for sports was not to rebel against the ideals of gender roles. In the 20th century trousers posed a massive threat to male authority
as clothing was associated with authority and power but by the 1940’s with World War II women began incorporating trousers into their daily lives in western USA. “WW2 made mens wardrobe available to women who, in defiance of shortages, mounted their bicycles” (Benaim, 2001:94). Where previously women were only aloud to wear them for cycling (by law in some places) as most men were away at war it gave them the freedom to adopt men’s masculine clothing as their own and incorporate them into their daily lives and jobs that they had adopted from men. Promoted to heads of the family it gave women new strength “in adopting pants, they expressed the new role of head of family that made them equal to men” (Benaim, 2001:94).

Hollywood played a big influence on changes throughout the decade having many masculine heroines in film such as Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn as they they helped change the perception of “cross dressing” women just because they chose to wear trousers. The images of working-class women in heavy industry began to reinforce the trend in its early stages even though they were only being worn for practicality. The uniform began to give equality between men and women in industry and job roles, can be seen as they are wearing similar uniforms at work.

Yves Saint Laurent’s suit depicts freedom and dominance of the female subject and also women in general for the strength they are given by wearing trousers. Instead of just wearing the clothing for activities and for the jobs. Women had the choice to wear them as fashion items, pieces of their outfits instead of just a uniform for work to portray them as equals to men and Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first to give them this freedom through his view of women and the designs he gave them. Along with Ann Sheridan’s photograph she is seen wearing a full metallic dress, although she is fully covered like model in Le Smoking she still seems somewhat seductive whereas Le Smoking doesn’t give this off, regardless of the elegance that can be seen in such a drab outfit she is far from trying to seduce.

Before they had the option women were underestimated and kept in this warped ideology of women being insufficient for jobs and them being made to wear dresses “symbolised women’s exclusion from male occupations and their economic dependance on husbands and male relatives”. You can see that Helmut Newton has done the complete opposite to this by empowering the women in the photograph, the pose is quite a masculine stance that is used in many advertising campaigns for men’s suits although the women remains extremely feminine yet strong. Wearing trousers outside in public area was a much greater step than Helmut Newton has shown yet it shows the female subject not caring for the politics of it all along with Helmut. Around the time the photograph was taken it had become an a lot more normal thing for women to be seen wearing trousers and suits yet there was still a lot of tension around the subject as it challenged the idea of male authority. Going all the way back to the 19th century which was only seventy years before trousers would of implied independence from men and a threat to the ideology.

Marlene Dietrich’s influence on fashion can be seen in Le Smoking with the powerful dominant figure and the almost androgynous form that the model takes. This was known to empower women making them feel the same as men, having the same masculinity as a man would make them feel the same social standing. This has been portrayed heavily by Hollywood through 1950’s onwards and this photograph in 1975 just reinforces the power that women were gaining at the time. She helped open the idea of women having the ability to wear masculine clothing in public spaces and not just for activities. The photograph unlike the other which is only thirty years previous Helmut does not aim to sexualise the female model where as Ann Sheridan looks as though she is passive whereas the subject in Helmut’s photograph is powerful and strong, a dominant figure to all.

Although the clothing in Le Smoking is associated with Masculinity she is far from this in the way she is dressed, she looks extremely elegant yet many would agree otherwise. Anything but a dress in those times was classed as masculine and not feminine with women because of the identity associated with trousers and suits. Whereas Ann looks extremely feminine in quite a weak pose, opening/welcoming which is the way gender was represented and the identity associated with a dress like she was wearing, unable to perform daily tasks and restrictive. Its a figure hugging dress while the Yves Saint Laurent suit is quite loose giving a lot more movement and isn’t as elegant as Ann Sheridan looks. Le smoking portrays women in a way to view themselves and present themselves according to masculine interpretations and shows that women aren’t inferior to men. Ann Sheridan seems submissive to the viewer and weak but yet still beautiful where women would aspire to be her. Her gaze almost looks through the camera into the distance waiting and her pose is almost as if she’s lying on a bed trying to seduce. Unlike many photographs of the era Le Smoking was not meant to be solely entertaining its was made to be contextual and have a meaning to strengthen women in society and not to sexualise her in the photograph for it to become another fashion image of a beautiful subject to sell an item. Doing this it also violated the norm for appropriate female’s behaviour at the time compared to what was expected of them. While the photograph of Ann was made to promote her as an actress in the time where being pretty and seductive turned out to play a key roll in her career with how pretty she was.

Ann’s photograph would be classed as normal fashion wearing a dress and looking feminine while Le Smoking would be classed as alternative fashion which is also portrayed in fashion magazines but was “likely to be presented wearing business suits and other costumes derived from masculine attire” (Crane, 2001:203).
Yet they have embraced this into their own clothing questioning the gender roles of society. This promotes women to adopt a masculine subjectivity regarding to social order which doesn’t want women to stick with conventional roles of gender. While femininity is often associated with being constrained and passive but not sexually available which is what is shown in the photograph of Ann Sheridan. Furthermore the photograph of Ann Sheridan makes her seem as though she is an object the way she is almost dropped across a plinth to be viewed by whoever is looking, she’s been placed there to be looked at compared to the solidarity of Le Smoking where the model seems very strong and has a feel of belonging yet
uncanny.