The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-25
Slaves of Fashion
BY DOROTHY DIX,

ness with the ballot.
Nothing that their harshest critic
could say on the subject would half
do it justice. The dress of the
average woman, particularly if she
is inclined to be little stout. is
collection Of implements of tor.
ture that would put the rack and
the thumb screws of the Spanish
ln9ulsltlon to shame,
Lace g woman in q straight front
IN which she cannot take a long
breath or make q free movement
10 save her life, and that pushes
her stomach up under her ribs and
dIsposes of the balance Of her
anatomy in unnatural places; perch
her up on two-inch French heels
that make every step an acure
agony; pin on her head four
pounds Of false hair with forty
seven hair pins that dig into her
scalp at different angles, and you
have before you q creature who is
undergoing tortures that make the
sufferings Of the early Christian
martyrs look like q picnic.
Yet this is the manner in which
fashion DEGREES that a woman shall
rig herself up when she goes forth
TO enjoy herself. Furthermore,
fashion, that demands its toll of
life and death, orders women to
starve themselves to be thin; TO
strip off their petticoats and 90 in
sufficiently clad to appear slim
mer; to wear thin slippers and silk
stockings In cold and muddy
weather, and to appear with bare
necks and throats when the ther.
mometer Is lowering around the
zero mark. and women meekly
obey. though they kill themselves
by doing so.
When you contemplate the of.
ferings Of life and comfort and
health and happiness that women
make on the altar OF fashion. it
does look as if their brains were
cut on the bias, and frilled in the
middle, and hobbled around the
bottom. and that the fit home of
the entire sex was the institution
for the feeble minded.
You can t wonder that men ieer
at them for being the slaves of
fashion, and call them fools and
idiots not to assert their own in
dependence by dressing in a ra-
tional and comfortable way, until
you take a look at men themselves.
Then you perceive that women
are not the real abiect slaves of
fashion. Men are; for women, at
least. show some glimmer OF re-
bellion against the autocrat occa-
sionally, while men follow the
leader blindly.
a woman. for instance, CON
forms TO the general mandates of
the tyrant who DEGREES that
dresses shall be tight or loose, and
hats small or large, hut she bias
enough originality to try to make
her own gown or hat different
from the others, and expressive of
her individual taste, whereas a
man would die before he would put
on a pair of trousers that WASH t
a duplicate Of those worn by every
other man in the street, and he
would as soon be accused of COM
mitting murder as of having ap-
peared in public in a hat with
brim quarter Of an inch wider
or narrower than that of Brown or
Smith.
A man may have the courage
to lead forlorD hope, or TO try
to break the aviation record OF
drive an automobile ninety miles
an hour, but he turns pale and
faint at the mere suggestion of
dressing differently from his
neighbors. Old Dame Fashion has
got him under her thumb, all right.
He puts on WOODEN suit, a
stiff starched shirt, a three.ply
stiff, starched collar, thick silk
necktie. Every layer Of clothes
means that much moro heat TO be
endured, but while he mops the
steaming perspiration from his
brow he dons the coat and vest
that will put him in danger of
perishing of heat apoplexy before
he gets home.
A few years ago philanthro-
pist, seeking to mitigate the suf.
feripgs Of his fellow man in the
dog days tried to induce men to
leave off their coats and vests iu
summer and wear shirt waists, as
women do. The idea bad every
thing to recommend it. Tt was
comfortable, cleanly, hygienic and
even picturesque. Abstractly. men
were enthusiastically in it's favor,
but when it came to putting the
theory into actual practice they
we're SO completely dominated bv
fashion and custom that they had
D It the bravery to do it.
The collar has no justification
On earth. 1t is harsh and hard
Nomination that cuts off the
blood supply from the, brain and
holds the head in wise and that
ldds twenty degrees OF tempera~
.ure TO the body in hot weather,
yet no man dares defy fashion and
20 down to business in COOL
Dutch neck, such as
wear,
In view of all these facts men
lave no right TO ridicu1e women
or the foIlv of their dress. OF for
,eine slaves to fashion. We are
II tarred with The same brush. If
nen point the finger OF scorn at
y straight front, women
an retaliate bv call'ne attention
o their chokiuo collars, and iP
vomon show their lack Of sense by
-earing too little clothes in win
er, men show their deficiency Of
Intelligence by wearing too MANY
q summer.
AS a matter Of fact women have
better excuse for beinr slaves
( fashion than men have. because
-omen dress to please men.
'bev'd be pIsd enouph "a he loose.
nd fat, and comfortable, and
'ouId 90 about in flowing mother
EXCEPT that men demand
-imness and sl'mness in women.
nd so women have to sacrifice
or,fort TO that masculine ideal.
But women will take men how.
yer thov can oct them. so men
we nobody bat themselves to