As a male, I have wondered about this one. I hope nobody takes this topic in a disrespectful manner, as it is not intended to be that way.

 

Historically, women typically worn dresses and skirts. In fact, it seems that it was quite rare for a woman to wear jeans in day to day life.

 

In modern times however, the reverse seems to be true. That is, most women seem to prefer wearing jeans in their day to day lives. I'm not implying that some women don't still wear dresses and skirts, but rather that their usage seems less common.

 

Some people state that a dress would limit movement, but to me it would seem like the reverse would be true... that a dress would allow greater flexibility. Keep in mind that not all dresses and skirts are long either.

 

Others state that wearing a dress or skirt can be too cold. However, a lot of modern fashion choices are more revealing and popular, even in the colder months.

 

So my question is, what exactly happened? Why does it seem like dresses and skirts fallen out of fashion in modern times?

Because we lost faith in old Christian values.

 

I like pants better than I like skirts.

 

That's really all there is to it.

I like skirts better than I like pants.

 

Unfortunately I'm a male, and not Scottish.

Typically both genders wore skirts/dresses, but that's just me being picky.

 

It's just due to fashions. Men would still be wearing them if it were not for changes in fashion too.

Ladies know they can't compete with the Utilikilt.

Because we lost faith in old Christian values.

 

Please don't make this another religion debate...

Well, from my shallow viewpoint it's a pity - I think most women look better in a dress of any kind than pants.

 

But whatever they find more comfortable/fashionable...

I'm male and Scottish. Who mad/jelly?

I think a nice pair of yoga pants can be just as good as a skirt sometimes.

A girl in a short dress (not like skanky short, I just dislike really long dresses) or in a skirt is the cutest thing ever. I wish they actually wore them more.

Sun dresses are quite possibly one of the best things ever.

Because we lost faith in old Christian values.

 

Please don't make this another religion debate...

:-(

 

 

A girl in a short dress (not like skanky short, I just dislike really long dresses) or in a skirt is the cutest thing ever. I wish they actually wore them more.

Agreed.

I'd tie this in with a discussion on why more men wear cardigans these days. I just think fashion has become more androgynous and there isn't an expectancy for people to wear their gender on their sleeves.

Probably because in the past it was considered manly and improper so women didn't wear them for social reasons. But now women CAN wear them and many prefer it. Skirts and dresses can be cold, uncomfortable, and oftentimes inconvenient (flying up in the wind, etc.). And I personally think it's easier to find things that match with jeans (shoes, jackets, etc.) than things that match with a dress.

I just think fashion is becoming more androgenous.

I'd think it has more to do with practicality and society's values. There are bound to be quite a few things that you can't do in a skirt.

 

And it seems Tripsis beat me to it.

I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm just arguing the inverse... cardigans on men as opposed to jumpers or suits don't really hold any extra value in terms of practicality and have nothing to do with society's values towards women, but there's still an increase in men's cardigans being sold.

 

There's more to it than the (slow) abolition of archaic "religion told us not to wear jeans" or "our only use was in the kitchen or the bedroom" sentiments.

I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm just arguing the inverse... cardigans on men as opposed to jumpers or suits don't really hold any extra value in terms of practicality and have nothing to do with society's values towards women, but there's still an increase in men's cardigans being sold.

 

There's more to it than the (slow) abolition of archaic "religion told us not to wear jeans" or "our only use was in the kitchen or the bedroom" sentiments.

Not denying that fashion is becoming more androgynous, because pretty much everything is. Both sexes are getting a bit more freedom from traditional gender roles, and I'd think that pants for women has to do with that - Women have options that would have been restricted to men in the past, and get the clothing that fits those options.

 

Because pants are, quite frankly, good at everything :razz:

Well, guys made the change to pants first, and there must have been some upsides or it wouldn't have happened.

 

Three things come to mind immediately:

Pants have pockets.

Pants are more protective/durable/warm.

You don't have to shave every day if no one can see your legs.

To be honest, I would love to be able to wear dresses and skirts all the time, but I don't because I'm self concious :-#

 

Another reason is because it does get pretty cold where I live, so not really practical.

It started in mines near Manchester, where girls were forced to put on pants in order to work. This was still considered a scandal. During World War One, women worked at factories and found pants more practical and durable than skirts. Same thing happened during World War Two.

Also, women's fashion is constantly taking ideas from menswear and adapting them, but the opposite doesn't really happen (there was/is a skirt thing going on not long ago, though). I'm seeing a lot of shrunken elbow patches and penny loafer/flat hybrids on girls, at the moment, and same trends cropped up not long ago amongst men (except the elbow patches were big and thick and the penny loafers wre penny loafers). Not long ago, tiny wingtips were all over the place. YSL created a tuxedo for women. Marilyn wore jeans... the list goes on. Women wearing pants

I don't think skirts/dresses are in anyway out. Summer they are EVERYWHERE and for evening wear they are EVERYWHERE, just see how many specialist dress shops are everywhere and can still charged hundreds for 1 item.

 

I think girls just moved to trouser-type clothing for daywear/winter as it is warmer, more weather friendly (eg winds etc), cheaper, more durable, offers pockets etc.

Because we have more perverts nowadays.

Because we have more perverts nowadays.

Romans.

 

Heheh. :twss:

Because we have more perverts nowadays.

 

I was figuring that would be a secondary reason females would switch from skirts to pants, since convenience was topping the list before considering the other issues of formal garments.