Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I met a Suffragette protesting in the park, and we talked about intersectional feminism and womens rights. It went, well, about as one would expect if they knew the true history of the Suffragette movement and why those white Edwardian dresses and striped sashes look the way they do!
We're all in a feminist rage over the Supreme Court leak that might overturn Roe vs Wade, but the Suffragette movement is not the feminist icon we should look to : the Suffragettes white feminism and racism showed through in their protest outfits of lacy Edwardian dresses and a distinctive striped sash. Fashion history isn't just pretty historical dresses, it's learning what clothes mean, and there is a whole lot of meaning and ugliness under all that lace.
Suffragette white is idolized as a form of womens' rights protest to the present day, but the Suffragette clothes we remember were carefully chosen political symbols. White Edwardian clothing was popular for everyone, so an Edwardian white dress or blouse made for an accessible and sometimes sneaky uniform. Suffragette dress was aggressively feminine, relying on Western gender norms of "pure" and "virtuous" and "delicate" femininity to subvert criticisms of the Votes for Women movement. As in the Suffragette movie, these women's rights protestors could be militant and aggressive, but leveraging gender roles changed the political narrative by showing that they had no intention to truly smash the patriarchy, they simply wanted to hold onto their own power as the social order changed.
The suffragette sash and colors had carefully chosen political messaging too. While the UK purple and green sash is slightly better recognized, the US Suffragette movement more often used purple and gold. The gold represented the Kansas sunflower and a failed womens' suffrage bill in 1867 where Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked with a racist politician who was supporting womens rights to keep Black people disenfranchised. Womens rights history is full of similar instances of intersectional feminism being ignored as white suffragettes touted limited women's suffrage in the South as a way to further racist political goals. The Suffragette sashes colors weren't chosen in spite of this, they were a reflection of this historical womens rights movement failing to fight for anyone but white, upper- or middle-class women who were largely comfortable in patriarchal gender roles. We cannot separate these Suffragette dresses from their meaning, from the amount of white feminism from the Suffragettes, and from the Suffragette movement's racism. Angry as we may be at the Supreme Court and this Roe v Wade news, we can find better forms of womens rights protest.
The Suffragette brooch is from the Glasgow Womens' Library, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
My pearls, which I bought specifically for moments that require pearl-clutching, are from In The Long Run Designs : etsy.com/shop/inthelongrun
Join my Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates, pattern diagrams, research lists, monthly video chats, and more! patreon.com/snappydragonstudios
Or, you can buy me some Ko-Fi : ko-fi.com/snappydragon
Follow me on IG for more stitchy business : @missSnappyDragon
For business inquiries, send an e-mail to : SnappyDragon at TBHonestSocial dot Com
I do not take personal costume/sewing or research commissions.
Want to send me letters? Send mail to PO Box 3884, Berkeley CA, 94703! Letters and cards only please 💚
I met a Suffragette protesting in the park, and we talked about intersectional feminism and womens rights. It went, well, about as one would expect if they knew the true history of the Suffragette movement and why those white Edwardian dresses and striped sashes look the way they do!
We're all in a feminist rage over the Supreme Court leak that might overturn Roe vs Wade, but the Suffragette movement is not the feminist icon we should look to : the Suffragettes white feminism and racism showed through in their protest outfits of lacy Edwardian dresses and a distinctive striped sash. Fashion history isn't just pretty historical dresses, it's learning what clothes mean, and there is a whole lot of meaning and ugliness under all that lace.
Suffragette white is idolized as a form of womens' rights protest to the present day, but the Suffragette clothes we remember were carefully chosen political symbols. White Edwardian clothing was popular for everyone, so an Edwardian white dress or blouse made for an accessible and sometimes sneaky uniform. Suffragette dress was aggressively feminine, relying on Western gender norms of "pure" and "virtuous" and "delicate" femininity to subvert criticisms of the Votes for Women movement. As in the Suffragette movie, these women's rights protestors could be militant and aggressive, but leveraging gender roles changed the political narrative by showing that they had no intention to truly smash the patriarchy, they simply wanted to hold onto their own power as the social order changed.
The suffragette sash and colors had carefully chosen political messaging too. While the UK purple and green sash is slightly better recognized, the US Suffragette movement more often used purple and gold. The gold represented the Kansas sunflower and a failed womens' suffrage bill in 1867 where Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked with a racist politician who was supporting womens rights to keep Black people disenfranchised. Womens rights history is full of similar instances of intersectional feminism being ignored as white suffragettes touted limited women's suffrage in the South as a way to further racist political goals. The Suffragette sashes colors weren't chosen in spite of this, they were a reflection of this historical womens rights movement failing to fight for anyone but white, upper- or middle-class women who were largely comfortable in patriarchal gender roles. We cannot separate these Suffragette dresses from their meaning, from the amount of white feminism from the Suffragettes, and from the Suffragette movement's racism. Angry as we may be at the Supreme Court and this Roe v Wade news, we can find better forms of womens rights protest.
The Suffragette brooch is from the Glasgow Womens' Library, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
My pearls, which I bought specifically for moments that require pearl-clutching, are from In The Long Run Designs : etsy.com/shop/inthelongrun
Join my Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates, pattern diagrams, research lists, monthly video chats, and more! patreon.com/snappydragonstudios
Or, you can buy me some Ko-Fi : ko-fi.com/snappydragon
Follow me on IG for more stitchy business : @missSnappyDragon
For business inquiries, send an e-mail to : SnappyDragon at TBHonestSocial dot Com
I do not take personal costume/sewing or research commissions.
Want to send me letters? Send mail to PO Box 3884, Berkeley CA, 94703! Letters and cards only please 💚
