fashion

1800–1880s – beards maketh the man

A style sometimes known as 'friendly mutton chops'

Facial hair was big in the 19th century. Look at paintings or photographs from this time, and chances are the men will have beards, moustaches or sideburns – and sometimes elaborate combinations of all three.

We present ourselves to the world by the way we dress and wear our hair. Our appearance reveals - and conceals - things about ourselves. Whether we have carefully selected from a full wardrobe or simply grabbed the first thing at hand, our clothing shows the times and places in which we live.  In all societies, social status or wealth, ethnic difference and even region are indicated by dress. Group identity can be strengthened by uniforms (formal or informal); occupations are revealed by particular forms of clothing; rites of passage are usually accompanied by special clothes. Styles of dress and hair support ideas of masculinity and femininity, and they may confirm, or challenge, popular gender stereotypes.

All dressed up and nowhere to go

Bathing suit competition, 1960s.

Bathing suit competitions came into vogue in the 1930s, and reached a peak of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Girls and women of all ages paraded across the stage in their bathing suits vying for local titles such as Miss Tiny Tot, Junior Miss, Miss, and Mother and Daughter. In the wake of feminist criticism, such competitions had virtually died out by the end of the twentieth century.