Ch. 8 Clothing: A Social History Extra Questions

Q. Write a short note on sumptuary laws of France.

A. i) From about 1294 to the time of French Revolution (1789), the people of France were expected to follow certain laws called the 'sumptuary laws' which tried to control the behaviour of those considered as social inferiors by preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages, and hunting games in certain areas.

ii) The items of clothing a person could purchase was regulated, by income as well as social rank.

iii) The material to be used for clothing was also legally prescribed. Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine and fur, or silk, velvet and brocade.

Q. How did the French Revolution bring changes in clothing in the French society.

A. i) The French Revolution ended all distinctions created by the sumptuary laws.

ii) The members of the Jacobin clubs called themselves the 'sans culottes' literally meaning those 'without knee breeches'. From now on all men and women started wearing clothes that were loose and comfortable.

iii) The colours of France- blue, white and red- became popular as they were a sign of the patriotic citizen. Political symbols too became a part of the dress: the red cap of liberty, long trousers, and the revolutionary cockade pinned on to a hat. The simplicity of clothing was meant to express the idea of equality.

iv) Laws no longer barred people's right to dress the way they wished. But differences in earning, rather than sumptuary laws, now defined what the rich and the poor could wear.

v) The notion of what was beautiful or ugly, proper or improper, decent or vulgar, differed.

Q. How were women groomed differently than men in Victorian England, and how did the clothing norms for women affect their status?

 A. i) Women in Victorian England were groomed from childhood to be docile, submissive and obedient. The ideal woman was one who could bear pain and suffering.

ii) While men were expected to be serious, strong, independent and aggressive, women were seen as frivolous, delicate, passive and docile. 

iii) Norms of clothing reflected these ideals. From childhood, girls were tightly laced up and dressed in stays to restrict the growth of their bodies. When slightly older, girls had to wear tight fitting corsets.

iv) Tightly laced women were admired as attractive, elegant and graceful. The torture and pain this inflicted of the body was accepted and normal and was essential to being a woman. Clothing thus played a part in creating the image of frail, submissive Victorian women.

Q. How did women of Victorian England react to the clothing norms for them?

A. i) From childhood girls grew up to believe that having a small waist was a womanly duty. Suffering and pain was essential to being a woman. The torture and pain was to be accepted as normal.

ii) By the 1830s, women in England began agitating for democratic rights. As the suffrage movement developed, many began campaigning for dress reform. 

iii) Women's magazines described how tight dresses and corsets caused deformities and illness among young girls. Such clothing restricted body growth and hampered blood circulation. Muscles remained underdeveloped and the spines got bent.

Q. What were the changes in the materials used for clothing during the 17th-20th century?

A. i) Before the 17th century, most ordinary women in Britain possessed very few clothes made of flax, linen or wool, were difficult to clean. After 1600, trade with India brought cheap, beautiful, easy to maintain Indian chintzes.

ii) During the Industrial Revolution, Britain began the mass manufacture of cotton textiles which it exported to many parts of the world. Thus cotton clothes became more accessible.

iii) By the early 20th century, artificial fibres made clothes cheaper still and easier to wash and maintain. Clothes got lighter, shorter and simpler.

Q. Write a short note on the turban and hat issue.

A. i) When European traders began frequenting India, they were distinguished from the Indian 'turban wearers' as the 'hat wearers'.

ii) The turban in India was not just a sign for protection from the heat but was a sign of respectability, and could not be removed at will.

iii) In the Western tradition, the hat had to be removed before social superiors as a sign of respect. This cultural difference created misunderstanding. The British were often offended if the Indians did not take off their turban when they met colonial officials.

Q. Which dress was considered most suitable as the national dress for men of India and why?

A. The chapkan, a long buttoned coat was considered the most suitable dress for men because Rabindranath Tagore suggested the instead of combining Indian and European dress, India's national dress should combine elements of Hindu and Muslim dress.

Q. Who was the first member of the Indian Civil Services (ICS)?

A. Satyendranath Tagore was the first member of the ICS.

Q. Write a short note on the Swadeshi movement?

A. i) In 1905, Lord Curzon decided to partition Bengal to control the growing opposition to British rule. The Swadeshi movement developed in reaction to this measure. 

ii) People were urged to boycott British goods of all kinds and start their own industries for the manufacture of goods such as matchboxes and cigarettes. 

iii) Mass protests followed, with people vowing to cleanse themselves of colonial rule. The use of khadi was made a patriotic duty. Women were urged to throw away their silks and glass bangles and wear simple shell bangles.

iv) Though many people rallied to the cause of nationalism at this time, it was almost impossible to compete with cheap British goods that had flooded the market.

v) Despite its limitations, the experiment with Swadeshi movement gave Mahatma Gandhi important ideas about using cloth as a symbolic weapon against the British rule.