Part 3
Women and fashion during World War 1 --exercise
Women began to exercise more. Swimsuits and gym uniforms (right) began to change. Image: Kent State University.
But young women of the early 20th century wore clothing fundamentally different from the clothes worn by their mothers in the 1880s and sweepingly different from their grandmothers' clothing in the 1860s.
In another change, women developed an interest in athleticism. During the 1900 Olympics in Paris, female athletes competed for the first time, according to the International Olympic Committee. It was an anemic start -- out of 997 athletes at the games, 22 were women. Their sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrianism and golf.
But the interest in exercise can also be seen in swimsuits of the time. Gradually, "bathing costumes" changed. No longer would women wear sailor outfits with bloomers and an overdress while trying to do the backstroke.
~~ Next: For the good of the country, women give up corsets ~~
