The late 1800s revealed changes in both women’s fashion and women’s expected roles in society. Often these changes went hand-in-hand: as women gained more freedom in society, their clothing became more forgiving as well. The biggest differences in women’s clothing involved what they wore inside the house versus outside. Inside the house woman had fewer expectations on what they wore and how they behaved. Slowly these expectations seeped into the public sphere and women were given more changes to participate in social activities and professional life.
Women’s lives and the clothing that they wore was greatly intertwined. Her clothing controlled her movements and communicated with society her social status. A person could tell a lot about a woman from simply looking at her outfit. A woman’s clothing and her outfit told society her social status, her material status, as well as how she spent her days. A woman’s outfit told society a lot about her personal life.
Although there was also a high standard to dress to live up to, the expectations for the clothing worn in public were far more severe than the clothing women wore in the privacy of their own homes. These differences in a woman’s clothing altered how woman behaved inside and outside their homes