Traditionally, a potential suitor would court a young woman in the home, under the watchful eye of her parents. With this newfound female independence in the public sphere, dating norms began to shift dramatically as well, further setting the stage for the Hatpin Panic. As a result, women were walking on the street alone for the first time, commuting to work or spending their hard-earned wages in restaurants or shops in the city. For the first time, jobs outside the home became available to young women in cities, such as piecemeal work in factories. Gender Politics Transform During Height of Hat PinsĪs ladies’ large hat pins became more and more commonplace at the turn of the 20th century, social norms were changing significantly. Gorgeous and intricate designs of natural phenomena, such as birds or insects, could be found on more expensive hat pins, while working classes usually adorned their pins with buttons or beads. High-end pins were adorned with decorations made of amber, coral, ivory, enamel, pearl, gold, and other materials. They were initially crafted with silver, but soon hat pins were created with brass, glass, and porcelain. Hat pins helped secure the wearer’s hat to her head by interweaving with her hair. Hat pins were on average 8 inches long, though some could reach a foot in length. The answer to the modern woman’s predicament in this era? Beautiful and sharp hat pins. With these large, elaborate hats becoming all the rage in women’s fashion, the ability to keep one’s hat and hair in place during the day became increasingly important. as demand for these ornate hats reached unprecedented levels. In fact, the bird populations of some species of local birds, such as the egret, were decimated across the U.S. To represent one’s social status, a prominent woman may purchase a hat with jewelry or feathers of rare birds atop it. Toward the end of the 19th century, women’s hats gradually grew in size as fashion trends dictated larger and larger women’s headwear. Large Hat Pins Gain Popularity in Ladies’ Fashion Sound familiar? While women today fight for the right to bring predators to justice through the #MeToo movement, the source of the 1900s woman’s power while out in public lay with the humble hat pin. But it wouldn’t be long before male lawmakers sought to limit the power these women now wielded in public spaces during the Hatpin Panic.Īs a result, women held protests, organized marches and shared impassioned speeches in an effort to rebuke these imposed limits on the use of hat pins and their ability to keep themselves safe outside the home. For the first time, women posed a physical threat to men through using hat pins. With the newfound use of the hat pin as a weapon, women suddenly found themselves with the ability to defend themselves against predatory men, called mashers, on the street and on public transportation. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)Īs women gained more independence and autonomy outside the home at the turn of the 20th century, public debate reached a fever pitch over the use of hat pins. Fashionable ladies wearing large hats in the early 20th century.
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