How Harem pants became a symbol of women’s liberation from their de-sexualized origins?
The Fascinating History Of Harem Pants
The history of these pants and their recent resurgence exemplifies how something that was once used to conceal and desexualize women is now used as a form of expression against the very purpose it was designed for.
The first so-called “harem pants/skirts” were introduced to Western fashion around 1910 by designers such as Paul Poiret, who drew inspiration from Middle Eastern styles and şalvar (Turkish trousers).
The origin of harem pants (or trousers, if you prefer) dates back nearly two thousand years. It is believed that harem pants originated from the dress known as the dhoti, which is a traditional men’s garment in eastern cultures.
This garment evolved into the first tulip-shaped pants over the course of a number of years. Originally reserved for men, women began to wear these loose-fitting pants for different reasons. Fashion anthropologist Megan Wright explains:
In the mid-nineteenth century, Amelia Bloomer, a women’s rights activist, introduced the first harem pants to Western culture. She utilized harem pants as a uniform for feminists who wished to fight for their rights.
Consequently, the term "harem pants" became popular in the West as a generic term for baggy trousers or similar styles, such as bloomers, the South Asian shalwar, and Patiala salwar; the Bosnian dimije; sirwal (as worn by Zouaves); and the Ukrainian sharovary.
Poiret’s explicit exoticism and references to Middle Eastern styles, using the imagery of harems and sultans to establish his Orientalist style, were widely regarded as immoral and inappropriately sexualized.
Adam Geczy suggests that harem pants, as a direct cultural appropriation, represent the point at which Western fashion began seriously challenging traditional cultural claims to their own styles.
Today, harem pants are seen everywhere, from Hollywood to the local yoga studio. They have lost their political stigma, become unisex, and are enjoyed by many not only for their uniqueness in fashion but also for their utility.
References:
(i) Davis, Mary E. (2007). Classic chic: music, fashion, and modernism
(ii) Geczy, Adam (2013). Fashion and orientalism: dress, textiles, and culture from the 17th to the 21st century
iii) Mulvagh, Jane (1992). Vogue history of 20th-century fashion.
