6 Functions of Dress…. via: foot fetishes, sororities, and the like!!!

1. Environmental Protection:

In Medieval Celtic society, the name of the game was definitely “layering”. The parts of Europe where these and similar cultures originated include Scotland, Ireland, etc. It goes without saying that cold, harsh climates in these areas required the fashionable garments of the day to consist of many built in barriers to the elements. The picture included for this example shows traditional garments consisting of; a base smock, a layered tunic, and an outer cloak. Dates/Designer: 13th century.

1.ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

2. Decoration:

One of the oldest forms of decorative dress is that of tribal custom wear. In this example, pictures of the elaborately colorful Maasai Tribal garments are shown on two young women. Dates/Designer: 2008

2. DECORATION

2. DECORATION

3. Gender Differentiation:

In most modern societies, gender differentiation may seem like a bit of an outdated concept. Sure, the majority of us still dress in ways that easily identify us appropriately as either masculine or feminine. However, there is arguably a lot of grey area within those two categories. One stage of live where the clear division of sexes via clothing is still used is in infancy. Take for instance the stereotypical blue vs. pink attire for young boys and girls. Dates/Designer: 2005

3. GENDER DIFFERENTIATION

3. GENDER DIFFERENTIATION

4. Group Membership:

As with any other group activity (athletic, social, or academic…) , Greek organizations require their members to identify themselves with a particular style of dress. In this case, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is a historically black women’s group in which its thousands of members worldwide all sport various combinations of pink and green to show their affiliation. This type of membership and the dress that accompanies it are all means of pride in the heritage and values of the organization. Dates/Designer: 2008

4. GROUP MEMBERSHIP

4.GROUP MEMBERSHIP

5. Ceremonialism:

My favorite example of  this element is that of the wedding ceremony. As I mentioned in my posting notes for this module, the wedding industry is still one that remains fairly untouched by any economic woes that may befall this country…….brides of all generations have always been determined to maintain the usage of special dress when it come to this symbolic event. Dates/Designer: 2009&1956; Image 1-Vera Wang

5. CEREMONIALISM

5. CEREMONIALISM

6. Sexual Enhancement:

The ancient practice of Chinese foot binding was once considered a requirement for the young Chinese women to attract a husband. It was thought that the unbound foot was large and grotesque, and only those of the poorest class had “normal” sized feet. Anyone else of decent social standing had their daughter’s feet bound at a very young age. The bound foot, often called the “Golden Lotus”, was thought to be extremely sexually enticing and most women had an entire wardrobe of specially made tiny booties to wear to enhance the feminine wiles of their 2inch-3inch feet. The images included show surviving Chinese women with bound feet as well as an example of the shoes worn. Dates/Designer: 2005

6. SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT

6. SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT

6. SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT