By Sofia Lamdichi | December 9, 2024
Photo Credit: Pixabay
In today’s world, many women feel empowered when they don a pair of high heels, slip into a bikini, or cinch themselves into a corset. These fashion choices, which have long been associated with the objectification and control of women’s bodies, are now often seen as symbols of personal agency, confidence, and strength. This paradox begs the question: How did we, as a society, transform items historically used as tools of objectification into tools of empowerment?
The history of fashion is deeply intertwined with the societal forces that shaped it. In earlier centuries, garments like corsets, high heels, and restrictive swimsuits were not designed to empower women but to control and manipulate their bodies in ways that aligned with patriarchal ideals. Over time, however, these same garments began to evolve, taking on new meanings as women’s societal roles changed. This transformation is a testament to the resilience and agency of women, who have continually refined and repurposed what was once used to subjugate them.
The Corset: The corset is one of the most emblematic examples of how fashion can be both a tool of oppression and a vehicle for empowerment. During the 16th to 19th centuries, corsets were an essential part of women’s daily attire, designed to cinch the waist and exaggerate the curves of the hips and bust, all to meet the cultural ideals of beauty and femininity. This fashion staple, however, came with a price—constricting the body to an unhealthy degree and often leading to physical issues such as fainting, difficulty breathing, and even organ displacement.
For many women, wearing a corset was a sign of subjugation, with the garment symbolizing the rigid social constraints placed on their physicality and autonomy. Yet, in the modern era, the corset has been reimagined as a statement of empowerment. Designers, especially in the early 20th century with the advent of haute couture and later, the punk and goth subcultures, took the corset and recontextualized it. Far from being a tool for physical repression, it became an emblem of self-expression, confidence, and rebellion. The tight-laced corset, once a symbol of fragility, was now a statement of strength, signaling a woman’s ability to control her own body and her own narrative.
High Heels: High heels are another fashion item historically linked to the objectification and subordination of women. Initially popularized by European aristocracy in the 16th century, high heels were worn by both men and women, but by the 17th and 18th centuries, they became firmly entrenched in women's fashion. Heels, with their ability to elongate the legs and create a more defined feminine silhouette, reinforced the idea of women as objects of beauty to be admired and desired. The high heel, like the corset, was a physical manifestation of patriarchal ideals—requiring women to modify their bodies in specific ways to fit into narrowly defined concepts of beauty.
Despite this history, high heels today are often associated with power, sophistication, and confidence. Women wear them in the workplace, at social events, and in personal expression as a symbol of assertiveness and presence. The very discomfort that once signaled a woman’s submission to male expectations is now often seen as a rite of passage, with heels signaling an overt defiance of the physical strain they impose. In this way, heels have become both a symbol of femininity and a statement of power—a declaration that women can navigate through physical discomfort for style, confidence, and independence.
The Bikini: Perhaps one of the most controversial garments in terms of objectification and empowerment is the bikini. Introduced in the 1940s, the bikini was initially met with resistance and shock, as it exposed much more of the female body than was considered socially acceptable at the time. The bikini's association with sexualization and objectification grew stronger over the years as advertising, pop culture, and media commodified the female body, particularly in association with youthful, thin ideals of beauty. It became synonymous with the objectification of women, as society’s gaze was fixed upon the woman in the bikini as a symbol of beauty, desire, and sexuality.
However, the bikini has also become a symbol of body positivity, self-love, and freedom for many women. Wearing a bikini, particularly in public spaces like beaches or pools, has become an expression of reclaiming one’s body. Women today, especially in the wake of the body positivity movement, are using swimwear to celebrate their bodies in all shapes and sizes, regardless of traditional beauty standards. The bikini has become a tool of empowerment because it allows women to dictate their comfort, choices, and self-presentation, casting aside the notion that they must cover up or conform to societal expectations of modesty.
The Power of Reclamation: The key to understanding how these items have transformed from tools of objectification into tools of empowerment lies in the act of reclamation. When women choose to wear a corset, high heels, or a bikini today, they are making a personal choice—often one that is loaded with intention and meaning. This agency over one’s clothing choices, once a rare privilege, has now become a widespread practice that signifies autonomy and self-expression.
The shift is also a product of changing cultural narratives around beauty and feminism. What was once seen as an oppressive standard is now, for many women, a way to reclaim power over their bodies. In doing so, they not only redefine the garments themselves but challenge the notion that clothing and beauty standards are inherently oppressive. Rather, these items become vehicles for self-definition, where empowerment is not dictated by the garment, but by the wearer’s control over their image.
The relationship between fashion and feminism is complicated, nuanced, and continually evolving. As women continue to challenge and redefine societal expectations, the very garments that were once used to objectify them are now an integral part of how they express their personal empowerment. Fashion, as a form of expression, continues to be a battleground for both reclaiming control and embracing individuality, demonstrating that empowerment is ultimately about how we choose to wear the world around us.