Question

how did suffrage movement bring about a reform in dress ?

Answer 1

As the suffrage movement developed, many began campaigning for dress reform. Women’s magazines described how tight dresses and corsets caused deformities and illness among young girls. Corsets then became necessary to hold up the weakened spine.

In the 1870s, the National Woman Suffrage Association headed by Mrs Stanton, and the American Woman Suffrage Association dominated by Lucy Stone both campaigned for dress reform. The argument was: simplify dress, shorten skirts, and abandon corsets. On both sides of the Atlantic, there was now a movement for rational dress reform.

Before this, the French Revolution also saw the ending of distinction in the clothing codes between the aristocrats and the common class. The red cap of liberty, long trousers, and the revolutionary cockade pinned on to a hat spread the idea of equality.