THE OTHER SIDE OF FEMINISM. The Image of Romantic Femininity in the Culture of the 19th and 20th Centuries as a Source for the Creation of a Collection of Clothes

The fashion industry and modern culture are the maximal closely related phenomena. Recently, more and more the theme of femininity, «new femininity» and feminism has been very topical. On the one hand, this suggests that feminine gender stereotypes are still present in the modern world, but, on the other, that they are the subject of active reflection and rethinking. Gradually, the feminine image in the minds of people of the 21st century gets rid of stereotypical qualities such as weakness, lack of independence, and even immaturity. Unfortunately, such positive changes in the perception of femininity and the rejection of stereotypes do not happen always and everywhere. This work explains that the relevance of the issue of femininity and «new femininity» in modern culture and fashion is due to much deeper and more extensive issues, such as the struggle for women's rights, equality in the labor market and higher education for both sexes. Fashion and culture are able to support the movement for women's rights by highlighting this issue to the masses, creating both comfortable and womanhood clothes for women and an emphasis on naturalness and individuality. This work also denotes a series of questions that people should ask themselves. For example, how to overcome stereotypical discriminatory thinking about a woman and how fashion and culture can positively influence this issue. The purpose of this diploma work is to create a collection of clothes for women who prefer a feminine style and share the idea that the womanhood image does not detract from the intelligence, strength and comfort of its owner. Results of this work show a fashion collection with concept that femininity does not mean weakness, superficiality and helplessness. A collection of clothes developed within this project demonstrates comfortable for everyday use products in a romantic feminine style.