An outfit which consisted of “a tunic, a knee-length skirt” and “ankle-length pantaloons.” Women often wore bloomers when cleaning the house, but some feminists began to wear them in public, instead of wearing their usual ankle-length skirts and petticoats, as a sign of their emancipation. The image of feminists in bloomers led to ridicule from newspapers and perpetuated the belief that feminists wanted to be men.
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Bloomers Term Timeline in The Feminine Mystique
The timeline below shows where the term Bloomers appears in The Feminine Mystique. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: The Passionate Journey
...were “taking the pants off men” occurred to their detractors when feminists began to wear bloomers. The bloomers were still a dress, but they were more comfortable than the heavy “half...
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