Throughout the twentieth century, American hemlines and fashion changed .
The twentieth century brought constant modification in the fashion industry, with .
the most important influences on fashion being movies, television, World War II, and the .
Women's Movement. From the long elegant skirt in the early 1900's to the short miniskirt of the .
1960's, American hemlines and fashion have changed according to what American society .
thinks is socially acceptable and proper at the time. .
With the turn of the last century, women were abandoning the hourglass look and .
wearing straight and narrow skirts (Harris 19). The skirts were long in the early 1900's .
because of two factors, the invention of the automobile and the generally accepted conservative .
attitude at that time. Men thought women should be completely covered in the kitchen rather .
than exposing their skin around town. The invention of the automobile caused dirt and dust to .
blow all over, thus causing women's delicate skin to become dirty and cracked. To solve this .
problem, women covered up from neck to toe (Yeager). If a woman were to show any part of her .
leg during this time, she could be subjected to out casting and possibly be labeled as a "loose .
woman." .
In the beginning of the 1910-decade it was similar to the 1900's, until 1914 when World.
War I broke out. The tight corset was gone and the hobble skirt made an entrance. It was called .
the hobble skirt because it was so tight women could not walk, they had to hobble (Peacock 52). .
Some skirts were so narrow that it was nearly impossible to move. For fear of splitting the skirt, .
women sometimes wore a length of cord to keep their legs from moving apart too much .
(Yeager). As the war progressed, hemlines began to inch up as wartime shortages made fabric .
scarce. Fashion again took a dramatic turn when the war ended. As interests changed, so did .
clothing. Sportswear was increasing in popularity and such fashions were soon incorporated into .
