clothing

Back in the day, infants of all genders wore white frocks—white, because it could be bleached of any infant spewage, and frocks, because it's easier to wriggle a baby into a dress than into britches. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1884 toddler photo depicts our dignified to-be president sitting primly in a white skirt and patent leather shoes.  

Eventually, parents began dressing their infants in "the colors of springtime," but it wasn't until World War I that those colors became gender signifiers. In June 1918, the Earshaw Infants' Department instructed parents, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” 

There are plenty of shows on television right whose characters sport highly realistic wardrobes, and there are just as many that definitely don't. I crowdsourced (read: asked people on Facebook and Twitter) some examples of both recently and have ranked 10 shows based on a completely unscientific wardrobe believability index. My only criteria were that the show in question: A. is currently on the air, and B. takes place in 2012 (sorry Mad Men and Game of Thrones, I love your clothes but I don't know how believable it is for Jon Snow to be wearing a yak fur). Check out the rankings after the jump, and be sure to add your own in the comments!


WHY?

Dressing up and pretending to be an adult is a natural part of childhood. Adults (just like fairies, kings, or queens) hold a bit of allure and enticement for young kids, making it a treat to pretend to be them for a while.

Yet, in today’s consumer-driven culture, the notion of "aging up" kids is happening in a way that has taken all the fun and pretend out of it. Clothing that is marketed towards kids, especially girls, looks less "girly" and more like smaller versions of outfits found in the tween and teen sections of stores.

As well as showcasing the quintessential Spinster Detective, the Miss Marple adaptations have plenty to say about England's shifting class structures in the decades after World War II and women's changing roles. It's all played out in microcosm in the fictional village of St Mary Mead.

Welcome back to another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Listen in as Sara, Jonanna, and Kelsey debate the merits of The Noncomplaining Project, women's happiness, and young people and their darned expressive clothing. You can hear the episode right here on our site, or subscribe to Bitch Media on iTunes and download it there. You can also access our audio files by visiting our page at archive.org.



Click through to leave your comments, and for more information about this episode (including Bitch faves)!

Psst! Hey you! In the Bitch gear! Yeah, you. What if we told you that you could go down in history as a feminist-merchandise wearing legend? You'd be into that, right?

Good. In the interest of spreading the gospel of Bitch as far and wide as possible, we're holding a monthly Bitch Mart photo contest and YOU, with your snappy Bitch gear (you have some of that, don't you?), could be a winner!

To enter our "The Bitch Stays in the Picture" photo contest, just send us a snapshot (digital is preferred) of you (or your friend, or your dog, or whomever) wearing your Bitch merchandise (apron, shirt, hat, whatever). The more eye-catching the setting, the more likely you'll be to win eternal fame, glory, and a sparkly new Bitch tote bag.

Details after the jump!

Wednesday's New York Times Fashion & Style section featured an article on the recent "outpouring of fashions aimed at trend-driven, round-figured teenagers and young women." Round-figured? Outpouring? Is that model in the frozen food section of a grocery store?

Read more after the jump!