Turns Out There’s a Feminist History to The Cardigan.
Yes - this is a real thing! A beautiful cardigan thread, pulled throughout history. And I’m here for it!
I was sent the below article earlier this week by a dear friend and all of a sudden, I felt like “the artist who gives purpose to, and defines meaning for their work years after making it.”
Did I know this history when I named Neon Cardigan? Absolutely not, 100% NO. But is it so extra empowering? So wholly applicable, and relevant to the work I do here? YES YES! 100% yes! It further endears this humble article of clothing to me — forever!
Flash back, if you will, to the early 1900s. The first few decades of the 20th century women are still in corsets and girdles, all the time! Women’s clothing was binding and uncomfortable, and at some point, it all became a symbol for how women felt in society - they were bound, uncomfortable…
This history of the cardigan goes back to the same time women started wearing PANTS! The desire (requirement) for comfort hit hard and liberated women leaned in with a swiftness. Pants and baggy sweaters called “Sloppy Joes” were dividing culture and class.
“The public backlash was massive. Men hated the cardi because it concealed women's bodies and obscured their curves. The media dubbed the women who wore them "Sloppy Sues." A 1947 article in Life lamented the sweaters and was shocked that these women "sometimes even ventured out of dormitories in rolled-up blue jeans and large men's shirts with the tails out. ... like a girl who does not care whether or not she looks like a girl."
YES YES YES! This Sloppy Sue is loving every bit of this! Give me more! Did we finally stop wearing heels everywhere too? Amazing!
