Gender, Identity, and Power: Social Values and Cultural Changes Reflected in Clothing Design in Historical Periods

Abstract

Clothes are significant cultural and social instruments to mark important events, ceremonies, and performances. Cloth designs and styles have evolved with the changing social and cultural landscape throughout historical periods. However, the developments have not been investigated and reported at great lengths. The research delved into a critique of social values and cultural changes emerging from clothing designs, unmasking fundamental dimensions of gender, identity, and power-related aspects. Fundamentally, cloth styles differentiated members of societies through social classes based on cloth styles, ornaments, and aesthetics. The evolution has seen the maintenance of class differences between the rich and the poor. Cloth styles mark gender differences, roles, and positions in ancient societies. The study uncovered evidence of the clothing styles that differentiated males from females. However, the cultural changes and social values saw the fusion of male-female clothing styles in the 20^th century. Similarly, the native and indigenous cultures influenced clothing styles in the contemporary world. Significantly, cloth designs shaped community and individual identities. These historical accounts impact the growth and development of the cloth industry.