LOOKING BACK \ Female fashion Things sure have changed for females over the last 235 years:

1774: Colonial girls, dresses only, to perform “ladylike” activities such as practicing handwriting or serving tea.

1854: Minnesota frontier, most girls had two simple dresses they wore everywhere. Sunbonnets shielded them from sunburn and tanning, which was considered very unladylike.

1900: Proper behavior still included a polite curtsy and, for some, daily appearance at a tea party.

1917: U.S. entered WWI; government asked women to stop buying corsets as steel would be needed for the war effort. Zippers invented around this time; until then, only men’s clothes had pockets.

Great Depression: More comfortable clothes. Creative ways found to reuse and recycle clothing and fabric.

1940s: WWII. Depression just about ended, but fabric couldn’t be wasted on civilian clothes, so frilly and poofy dresses and skirts were out. More simple styles adopted; women began wearing pants to their factory jobs.

1970s: Dramatic change. Just about every girl had pair of blue jeans.

Today: Styles are expression of individuality. Young girls wear jeans, T-shirts, hoodies and yoga or sweat pants.

Source: American Girl