Fashion as a Tool of World War II: A Case Study Supporting the SI Theory

Abstract

Through a historical case study of Akron, Ohio during World War II, a story emerged of how retailers used their fashion advertisements to influence women to take factory jobs in war industries. Akron, Ohio served as a case study because it had three nationally linked department stores, a major newspaper, and the city's war industries were the nation's second largest employer of women during World War II. Because voluntary recruitment efforts were successful, the government did not act on its planned national draft for work that would have included women. As the culture negotiated women's role in the marketplace, pants came to symbolize women's participation in the war effort. The appearance and adoption of pants offers support for the SI theory of fashion.