Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism

Contrary to other reviews, this book is not a simple narrative. It follows fashion and feminism through history. Granted, it is a new generation of feminism and is bound to be controversial but overall she tries to explain that fashion is a matter of personal preference and conflicts with the idea of the freedom feminism promises. She also explains how fashion constraints were used primarily as class restraints during the early days of feminism (1900's) and that it wasn't a matter (for the most part) of men trying to corner women into a specific role. On top of shattering common misconceptions (such as you can't be a feminist and care how you look) the book is interesting and engaging throughout. My only complaint is that it doesn't address the problems women do have with body image and the negative implications of fashion, if it did this then it truly would be a well rounded piece of work. Howevever I still give it 5 stars because what it covers it does so excellently.

Is beauty a vehicle of oppression enslaving women by its rigid demands or a gateway to status and empowerment? The author presents a compelling, well-researched argument that a love of feminine adornment is not at odds with the broadest goal of the feminist movement - that of individual self-expression. Linda Scott tracks the development of the feminist movement in its three stages and analyzes the role of female adornment within the context of each wave of change. She brings to light some atypically flamboyant feminists that other books of this genre neglect to mention. Scott also chronicles the upheavals that concurrently went on in the realms of fashion and women's publications. The interconnection of the topics she deals with is complex and often amorphous, but her lucid analysis makes for thought-provoking reading.