Impact of Modern Fashion on Women’s Rights Advancement

Traditional societies which were highly conservative controlled women and limited their freedoms in almost every sphere of their lives, including the kind of dresses they wore. Women thus resorted to any form of expression or tool that they could use to speak and act against these limitations and infringement on their rights. Amongst the tools they used and continue to use today is fashion. The role that fashion has played in advancing the rights of women in the society has been widely debated and researched. Feminist have used fashion to advocate for women’s rights in different ways i.e. fashions that are deemed to promote women rights have been supported and promoted, while those found to demean women have been attacked and faced out of the market.. In her book, Glamour women, history, feminism, Dyhouse (2010) writes that before the politics of dress took precedence in the fight for women’s rights, feminists had focused on fighting for their rights and equal opportunities in ot

This research is conducted through one on one interview with the female LIM students using structured questionnaires. By providing additional data on how fashion impacts on women’s rights, the study places fashion designers and businesses in a better place to identify the fashion needs of feminist ,women’s right crusaders and associates and how to fulfill these needs i.e., designing fashion items that align with the objectives of the feminist causes.

This is a primary research. Female LIM students were interviewed using structured questionnaires. The interview questions are tailored to explicitly identify how the respondents fashion sense impact on women’s rights. The study involved 40 respondents and conducted at the respondents’ chosen time. The interview questionnaires consisted of 10 questions and the respondents were only required to space 15-20 minutes of their time to complete the entire interview . 

The unit of analysis of this study is at the individual level. The study analyzes the female LIM students view on their fashion sense and how they uses them to advance women’s rights or support feminist causes. 

The individual female LIM students who were involved in the study were randomly selected within the campus. The researcher approached female LIM students in the school walk walks, parks and classrooms. This method was adopted in order to limit bias. 

This study used a survey. The study relied on one on one interview using structured questionnaires. The interviews took about 15 minutes and were conducted within the Campus. The sample structured questionnaire used in the study interview are provided below. 1.       Do you consider yourself as a feminist? [] Yes        [] No 2.       Do you think women have total say on the dress they wear and how they dress? [] Yes        [] No 3.       How would you describe your fashion taste? (Choose all you find appropriate) [] Conservative      [] Provocative              [] Rebellious    [] Conforming [] Controversial   4.       Have you ever dressed to protest anti-women rules? [] Yes        [] No 5.       Have you ever dressed to support a feminist/women cause? [] Yes        [] No 6.       What do you consider when purchasing your clothes/fashion items? (Choose all you find appropriate) [] It is allowed/supported by the society  [] I like the clothe/fashion ite