When the Girls Came Out to Play ─ The Birth of American Sportswear

Time was when wearing fewer than 18 garments to play croquet, not including veil and parasol, was a police matter. Now, wearing any more than skivvies to go jogging is considered a sign of mental instability. Warner (theater, U. of Massachusetts Amherst) traces how the development of women's sportswear, and thereby their increased presence in public physical activity, served in breaking down traditional gender roles. Warner has found that the notion that World War II brought with it the idea that women were capable of playing sports more rigorous than needlepoint is untrue, and in fact changes in the nineteenth century, including the advent of women's colleges, allowed women more avenues of participation. She shows how the gym bloomers of the elite schools gradually lead to the universality of women's sportswear for a variety of activities for women, including, without a blush, sports. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Patrick Campbell Warner is professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.