Fresh lipstick : redressing fashion and feminism / Linda M. Scott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scott, Linda M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women's clothing.

Clothing and dress--Psychological aspects.

Clothing and dress.

Clothing and dress--Political aspects.

Fashion--Psychological aspects.

Fashion.

Feminist theory.

Physical Description:

viii, 358 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Summary:

Linda M. Scott wants to put an end to the belief that American women have to wear a colorless, shapeless uniform to achieve liberation and equality.

A pointed attack on feminism's requisite style of dress, Fresh Lipstick argues that wearing high heels and using hair curlers does not deny you the right to seek advancement, empowerment, and equality. Scott asserts that judging someone on her fashion choices is as detrimental to advancement as judgments based on race, nationality, or social class. Fashion is an important mode of personal expression, not an indication of submission. Scott demonstrates that feminism's dogged reduction of fashion to sexual objectification has been motivated by a desire to control other women, not free them. This push for power has produced endless conflict from the movement's earliest days, hindering advances in women's rights by promoting exclusion. It is time for the "plain Jane" dress code of the revolution to be lifted, allowing all women to lead, even those wearing makeup and Manolos.

Marching through 150 years of American dress history, Scott rips down feminism's favorite positions on fashion-from the power of images to the purpose of makeup. The illustrative examples-from flappers to Twiggy to body-piercing-are often poignant, occasionally infuriating, but always illuminating and thought-provoking.

With Fresh Lipstick, Linda Scott gives women the ammunition to settle the fashion debate once and for all. She challenges feminists to move beyond appearances and to return their focus to the true mission of the movement: equality for all women everywhere.

Contents:

Introduction: Tossing Down the Glove 1

Chapter 1 The Natural Fallacy 11

Chapter 2 Dress Reform and Domination 23

Chapter 3 Making the Myth 53

Chapter 4 Reading the Popular Image 89

Chapter 5 The Power of Fashion 127

Chapter 6 Sex, Soap, and Cinderella 165

Chapter 7 Rethinking Necessities 191

Chapter 8 Freudian Feminism and Commercial Conspiracy 223

Chapter 9 Something Different 251

Chapter 10 Style and Substance in the Second Wave 281

Chapter 11 Exclusive Rights 311

Chapter 12 Fresh Lipstick 327.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [333]-354) and index.

ISBN:

1403966869

OCLC:

55644875