Ladies, it hasn't been very long since shorts came into fashion for us. The 1930s saw women's shorts fashionable in public for the first time, generally with a full, pleated silhouette and a high waist.
Coming from centuries of long dresses, some people were shocked by the sight of human women's legs - several municipalities tried to ban shorts for women. (Read more about that at NPR)
This wasn't the first time legs were on display - short swimsuits had been around since at least 1910 - but the setting made a difference.
You might have seen the above photo online - it's often captioned as "Women cause car wreck by wearing shorts," but let's get real, it's pretty obviously staged*. Newspapers loved shock then as much as they do now!
1930s shorts panic is a great reminder that in summer or any time, everybody should wear whatever the heck they want. Let's celebrate feeling comfortable with our bodies and dressing as we please!**
Do you think this cute 1930s shorts style should make a comeback?
* Not to mention, if that really was a car wreck, it would be better captioned "Careless driver crashes car ogling some women who were minding their own business."
** And looking the other way instead of judging others!
I love those high waisted shorts!
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