A Study on the Sexual Image of Woman`s Sports Wear in the Latter Half of the 20th Century

20세기 후반 여성 스포츠웨어의 성(性)적 이미지에 관한 연구

  • 이효진 (전북대학교 생활과학대학 의류학과) ;
  • 강임아 (전북대학교 생활과학대학 의류학과 대학원)
  • Published : 1999.12.01

Abstract

As sports infiltrates each field of modern society and becomes familiar, sports wear was changed functionally and was introduced and enveloped into everyday dress. Modern sports wear has been the settled in everyday life deeply and become the clothes of life which are worn regardless of place, time and age. The aim of this paper was to clarify what kind of fashion of sports style would be given to the modern people. In this study, sports wear which has become everyday dress classified from a gender point of view. It was divided into masculine image, feminine image, and neutral image. Sports wear of masculine image generated a silhouette which emphasized the shoulder with the aspiration for youth and health. Wide shoulder was considered as the symbol of masculine beauty and the expression of healthy beauty. It was reflected well in body conscious look. And owing to the development of up-to-data materials, innovation of design, and the study of human body technology, the functional character was settled in the sports wear which showed masculine image. Sports wear of feminine image was represented fashion of body exposure, body feet with body conscious look, and romantic mode. This image was expressed fashion as comforts, pleasant, active design, materials, color, and romantic feminine beauty. Sports wear of neutral image was expressed into unisex clothes. This cloths have no difference in gender, age, and class. It was used as casual sports wear. In the 1960s, young generation participated in such street sports as street basketball and skate. They usually sore the sports wears of neutral image such as cycling, skating, and ski. In the materials of sports, the development of up-to-data material like lycra made the sayings lifelike, “up-to-data material is the second skin” It show that glamorous feminine image and strong masculine image coexisted. The contemporary concept of sportswear is no longer limited to those clothes for sports found in such places like tennis court or swimming pool. Now, the sports wear become more like casual activity wear all classes of people can enjoy in their life regardless of where they are, when they wear, and even how old they are.

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