First Woman to Wear Pants

 

Ancient Women Who Wore Trousers

Pants have also been referred to as slacks, trousers, pantaloons, breeches, and knickerbockers throughout history. Historians believe that working-class men and women in Ancient China wore trousers or leggings as early as the first millennium BCE. Warriors wearing pants are depicted on painted pottery in the late 400s BC in Greek culture. Pants were commonly worn by early nomads and coastal peoples near Ancient Greece, such as the Scythians. The oldest preserved pair of trousers ever discovered was dated between 1200 and 900 BC and was thought to have been worn by both male and female horse riders. In the 1700s, women like Hannah Snell wore pants and assumed false identities in order to fight alongside men in battle. Later, between 400 and 750 women wore pants and posed as men to fight in the American Civil War.

Western Pantaloons

Pantaloons, as they were known at the time, were popularized in the modern Western world in the mid to late 1800s by another suffragette, Amelia Jenks Bloomer. Bloomer published The Lily, a biweekly newspaper. Bloomer's views on temperance and women's issues were included. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a well-known feminist and suffragette, also contributed articles to The Lily. Along with temperance and women's equality, The Lily advocated for dress reform. Bloomer advocated for a less restrictive style of dress for women than the traditional style of her time: corsets, petticoats, and floor-length skirts.

Which Woman First Wore Pants?

Elizabeth Smith Miller is widely regarded as the first modern woman to put on pants. Miller was a feminist. In the 1800s, her goal was to assist women in the United States in gaining the right to vote. Her home was also a stop on the Underground Railroad, so she helped slaves seeking freedom. Miller claims she designed her Turkish-style pants while working in the garden one day in 1851. They were long baggy pants that were worn under skirts and narrowed at the ankle. These early pants were designed to give women more freedom of movement while maintaining the Victorian decency. Miller debuted this style of pant with her cousin, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who then passed it on to her neighbor, Amelia Jenks Bloomer. They were, however, heavily criticized in the mainstream media. The majority of the women who wore them were activists for women's rights.

The significance of women wearing pants was perhaps best summed up by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who said, "The question is no longer how do you look, but woman, how do you feel?"

Although Miller received a lot of attention for her fashion choices, Fanny Wright was most likely the first modern Western woman to wear pants. Wright was a Scottish woman who became a citizen of the United States in 1825. She is well-known for her work as a writer, feminist, abolitionist, and social reformer. Wright was a co-founder of the Free Inquirer newspaper, which she used to express her social views.

Wright spent a few years of her adult life in the 1820s in a socialist commune called New Harmony. She wore loose bodices and ankle-length pantaloons with knee-length dresses. Wright's style is considered bohemian today.

Trivia About the First Woman to Wear Pants

With their bold clothing and strong opinions, women like Wright, Miller, and Bloomer were strong advocates for women's rights and advanced the equality movement. However, the sight of women in pants remained divisive for many years.

• Charlotte T. Reid, an Illinois congresswoman, made history in 1969 when she became the first woman to wear pants on the House floor.
• The Committee of 200, an invitation-only group of successful women entrepreneurs, includes among its members the first woman to wear pants to a White House event.

• Katherine Hepburn was the first actress to wear pants in a major motion picture.
• Mary Tyler Moore created a controversy, wearing capri pants as Dick Van Dyke's television wife Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

• Charline Arthur, a country western star, was the first female singer to wear pants while performing on stage in the mid-1940s.

• As women began to work in factories during World War I, they began to wear pants. The practice, however, was still frowned upon.

• Marlene Dietrich furthered the cause when she wore pants in the 1930 film Morocco.
• Rosie the Riveter, the iconic symbol of women during World War II, made pants more popular for women.

• By the 1950s, jeans and capris had become standard attire for women.

Blazing the Fashion Trail

While it is impossible to know who was the first woman in history to wear pants, many notable women were among the first to do so in various time periods and situations. Women today have the freedom to wear almost anything they want thanks to women like these.