In this post, I want to discuss women's clothing in the Civil War.
Since the beginning of mankind, women have been mindful of their appearance. Think about it: The moment Eve realized she was naked, she had to dress herself with the first thing she found! Every girl and woman since has been the same way. Admit it, ladies: You checked your appearance in the mirror this morning. Ladies living around the Civil War were just as picky; though they had a whole standard of dressing to seem presentable. They had an entire system of garments to complete one outfit, and, complicated as it was, they felt naked when lacking one petticoat.
A Civil War woman would start with a pair of mid-calf or ankle length pantaloons or knee length bloomers. Tucked into or worn over the pants was a type of nightgown called a chemise (shuh-meez) with a draw-string neckline. Here's a picture:
Above that layer is the corset. I’m sure most think of a corset and immediately think of medical problems, and it is true that a corset worn over time laced too tightly will mess up a woman’s organs. but ladies of this era were convinced that a straight waistline was the “healthiest” option for a young lady. It wasn’t necessarily worn for the woman to appear skinnier; these ladies just wanted a straight waistline.
The third layer is what they called the modesty petticoat. It’s a simple, cotton skirt that might not seem needed, but is one of the most important layers. You’ll see why later.
On top of the modesty petticoat is my personal favorite layer, the hoop. Made of cotton and reinforced with metal or bone, and with a drawstring tie at the waist, the hoop gave Civil War-era women’s dresses the shape they desired; usually a bell shape. On windy days or if they fell, the women would be glad for the modesty petticoat when the hoop would tip or reveal more than would seem proper.
Some women didn’t find a hoop practical (a hard-working woman close to fires, perhaps); so instead she would wear 4-6 petticoats to take its place (still achieving the right shape without the ‘fancy’ hoop). But if you did wear a hoop, you would cover it with 1-2 additional petticoats.
Then you’d add a shirt to wear under the dress, or the top bodice of your outfit. Depending on the occasion is whether a woman would wear a dress or a fancier bodice with a matching skirt. It was a hard process of washing clothes, so the women would even wear artificial sleeves to keep the dress away from the oil of the body. The same goes with the corset (hence wearing it over the chemise) and the hoop (over several layers); both which were hard to wash. But a woman would not be considered completely modest without stockings, gloves, and a bonnet. Most would also apply light jewelry, such as a brooch or earrings.
As you can see, Civil War women took pride in dressing correctly. Their silk gowns or cotton day dresses would show off how the lady took care of herself properly. Isn’t it funny how we’ve gone, in a mere 150 years, from 6+ skirts at one time to thigh-length shorts and skin-tight pants?
What happened?
Yes, I’d agree that this was a bit extreme. And I’m not bashing a pair of loose-fitting capris or jeans, for I wear them just like the next person! And yes, the neckline for Civil War dresses also had a problem staying where it was modest, but what happened that American women today never dress modestly? Why can’t our women/girls today wait to reveal themselves to their husbands? The Bible says that “…the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty…” (1 Cor. 12:23-24) and that “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) We have to stand out from this world’s fashion and be modest.
I want to challenge you to be the one to start a modesty revolution. Be the one girl you know to wear a cute but modest skirt! A blog that I follow, Fresh Modesty, is trying to show girls across America that you can be modest, and still have style. Find the Fresh Modesty blog Here
Stop making excuses for dressing like the world when we’re called to be apart from the world. You be the one to take us back to the days when modest skirts were fashion.
Join me in reclaiming America's modesty.
Sources:
All images found at http://www.reusableart.com/civil-war-clothing-19.html
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