What is the connection between fashion and women’s rights? How pockets, skirts, and bras became a political statement? How does fashion function in our political system? In concurrence with the exhibition “Fashion and Femininity” currently on display, this talk on July 12, 2023 from 7-8pm will examine how fashion became a tool to express and challenge gender, race, and class identities and how women used it to advance their political agendas–from the suffragists to today’s politicians–revealing the importance of clothing and appearance in struggles for freedom and equality and why clothes matter.

Register for this free event at bit.ly/dressed-for-freedom. Doors open at 6:30 pm to explore the “Fashion and Femininity” Exhibit before the talk.

About the Speaker: Dr. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox teaches U.S and women’s and gender history at Case Western Reserve University and is a resident of Shaker Heights. Her research examines the connections between fashion, politics, and modernity, particularly how visual and material culture have shaped and reflected class, gender, and racial identities. Her writing appeared both in scholarly journals and books as well as venues such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS, and The Conversation. Her book, Dressed for Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism explores how women used fashion to challenge race and gender identities and to promote feminist agendas in the long 20th century. You can follow her on twitter @DrEinavRFox.