Women of the War

During the war, so many men had joined the British forces that it brought a change upon British society which would last permanently, right up to current day! Women, who previously either didn't work at all, or worked doing sterotypically 'female' jobs such as staying at home to look after the children, in garment factories or a domestic servant. This all changed with the war - suddenly they were encouraged to work on farms and in hospitals, doing the men's work, and doing it well.

(source: firstworldwar.com) Women working in the factories - I love how this is such a great balance of the femininity and the harsh, dirty working environments they were in - women were becoming stronger, and not seen as just weak posessions, however they were still women - as you can see by the way they're wearing gloves and daintily handling the oily parts.

 

(Source: guim.co.uk) Munition workers in the factory handling arms.

 

(Source|: formerdays.com) American nurses during the Great War - they had such important jobs and this changed the perception of women forever

 

Men's styling was now widely accepted, due to the jobs which required practical clothing - women would now be wearing trousered garments such as boiler suits and dungarees to work - low heeled boots were also a working wardrobe staple.

(Source: fashionthroughtime.wordpress) Variations of the boiler and trouser styles

Another practical necessity was to support the bust. With the decline of the corset in full motion, bodices which were softer were introduced, as was the brassiere, a shorter and more developed version of the bust bodice.

(Source: wikipedia) A more developed version of the bust bodice; the brassiere. It looks far more relaxing than the traditional corset and bust bodice, allowing freedom of movement and the natural figure to shine through