V. Let’s Talk
The Miniskirt
Mary Quant was a famous dress designer in the 1960s. Her main contribution to fashion history was the miniskirt. During the 1960s many young people were starting to think women could do more in life than be wives and mothers. Clothes became a weapon in the battle between generations. Anything different and daring was soon popular. During this period miniskirts attracted the world’s attention. It was teenagers and very young girls who bought short shirts that displayed their legs. Ms. Quant said that at her fashion shop, young women began demanding shorter and shorter skirts. “If I didn’t make them short enough, the girls that had wonderful legs would take scissors and shorten the skirts themselves.” She said. Eventually, Ms. Quant’s skirts, which arrived in the United States in the mid-60’s, were reduced to about five inches. In parts of Europe and North America the miniskirt represented loose morals. Members of the older generation believed good girls would never appear in miniskirts. But in Ms. Quant’s opinion, short skirts worn with heavy pantyhose would make the girl look childlike. Lately, feminists have come to see mini as a symbol of women’s liberation, as a powerful weapon against the traditional stereotype of the woman simply as wife and mother.
1.D 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.B
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