Clothing reflects the culture of a society. Culture influences clothing and the attitudes of the wearer.
In various fields of Korean society and culture, changes took place with the introduction of western civilization and the collapse of the feudali...
Clothing reflects the culture of a society. Culture influences clothing and the attitudes of the wearer.
In various fields of Korean society and culture, changes took place with the introduction of western civilization and the collapse of the feudalistic system in the Yi dynasty. In addition western style clothing brought changes to the traditional clothing of Korean women which hadn’t changed in the past thousand years. But these changes were influenced by the modernization of Korean society.
Ever since the opening of the ports, Korean society, with great effort, pursued modernization. People began to feel pressure to the open the country more rapidly, which as a result, forced them to modernize their country through their own efforts and to reform the feudalistic system. There arose a reformation movement both from the ruling power and from the people, especially in the fields of culture, education and industry. Unfortunately, however, all these fields suffered a setback in the midst of their development.
In 1950, the Japanese government set up a residency-general in Korea as required by the Eulsa 5 treaty, and in 1910, the Consolidation of Korea and Japan eventually colonized the country. This redirected the people’s effort from independent modernization toward a movement for independence. For instance, they started the Local Product Encouraging Movement, the Education Promotion Movement and the Industry Promotion Movement which were subsequenty severely prohibited by the Japanese government.
The Land finally achieved Liberation in 1945 after thirty-five years of colonization. Nevertheless, the country was divided into two parts and there was an extreme antagonism between the right and left wings, which resulted in the establishment of two separate governments, one in the North and the other in the South. And eventually the Korean War broke out.
During and after the war, American culture was unilaterally and unlimitedly imported along with the presence of the U.S.Army. The Aid-Economic System and the relief goods had an especially tremendous influence on every aspect of Korean society and culture. Clothing was no exception.
With the opening of the ports, imported fabrics overwhelmed the Korean market depressing domestic fabric production. The government practiced a “Rehabilitation Policy of the Colonial Industry” and other systematic reformation measures in vain. Fortunately, however, through the government’s effort and promotional campaigns, the textile industry was established by native entrepreneurs and their domestic capital. Unfortunately, the Japanese government restrained its development by issuing a Social Decree. As a result, Japanese-made fabrics overwhelmed the Korean market. During the colonial period, a new fiber called rayon was introduced and widely used along with existing fibers life cotton, linen, wool and silk.
For some time after Liberation, despite the machinery installation left by the Japanese, Korea had to suffer a shortage of clothing due to manufacturing inexperience and a lack of raw materials. The textile industry was just about ready to stand on its own when the Korean War broke out destroying factories and installations and again creating a shortage of clothing. Therefore, people had to wear recycled military uniforms or relief clothes and smuggled goods such as Macaoian clothes and velvet.
After the war, the Government banned imports of cottons and received foreign aid to develop its own domestic textile industry. In addition imports of synthetic fiber like nylon created a revolution in the clothing business.
Changes in women’s values also affected their concepts toward clothing. Since the opening of the country, Korean women who received a modern education learned to participate in social and economic affairs and consequently changed their outlook on life. The number of educated women gradually increased in spite of oppression from the Japanese and these women formed a new(modern)class who became a catalyst, propelling changes in Korean women’s clothing.
At the same time, the women’s collective movement, generated from a save-the-nation movement founded at the close of the Yi dynasty, created changes in consciousness and encouraged participation in outer society. This encouraged an increasing number of women to participate in economic activities.
The social environment in the 20s and the 30s became a factor in the emergence of modern women who insisted on equality of the sexes and who led a reformation in clothing. Although their new points of view often conflicted with that of traditional society, they greatly influence all women and the society of that time.
After Liberation, the number of educated women increased and their social activities moved into even more varied fields of endeavor. However, the Korean War strained the traditional family system and changed the values of the people. There arose a new image of woman called the ‘Free Wife’. These women enjoyed imitating western styles, extravagances and free living. Thus they became the objects of criticism.
Despite the criticism they received from society, modern women, including the “free wives”, became the forerunners changing existing life values and concepts. Their clothing was also imitated by most Korean women.
The following describes the process, of change in women’s clothing during each period:
Korean women’s clothing started to change when educated women came from abroad wearing new western style clothes as the country was opened to western civilization. From 1880 until 1905(Eulsa 5 Treaty), men’s official outfits were changed by the government. On the other hand, women’s clothing changed more slowly in style as some educated women gradually returned to the country with their western style clothes. Generally in this period, they wore an S-silhouette long dress with a broad-brimmed hat.
Stimulated by these women- foreign missionaries or educated women form abroad, -Korean women started discussing the reform of their inconvenient traditional dress. The country actually lost power after the Eulsa 5 Treaty and was colonized by Japan. This encouraged Korean women to protest by wearing Korean traditional dresses instead of western style clothing as an expression of their patriotism. Various women’s organizations, missionaries and female students played a leading role in this movement. Finally they did away with the ‘Jang-ot(sort of veil)’ and lengthened their ‘Jeogori(Korean jacket)’. Also the traditional long skirt was seamed and shortened.
Parasols replaced old-fashioned veils(Sseugyechima or Jang-ot)and women began to wear ‘Durumagee(traditionally, man’s overcoat)’ as they now had more chances to go out. As a result, women’s fashion became a mixture of both traditional and western styles: for instance, as women took off their veils, a new western style hairdo ? the pompadour- came in fashion, and they wore socks, sometimes ‘beoson’, with western shoes when they wore traditional dress. Western fashion at that time consisted of two piece suits-blouses, long skirts and jackets- with hats or parasols. It was also then that students at Sookmyung Girls’ School and nurses began to wear western style dress as uniforms.
In the early colonial period(1910-1919), people consciously wore traditional dresses, especially the modern versions, as their national spirit rose against the Japanese military government. A shoulder-strap shirt, worn for the first time by Ewha students in 1914, spread nationwide. The changes in women’s clothing continued: the length of ‘Jeogori’ got longer while that of skirt got shorter, and as the seamed skirt became popular, traditional underwear slowly disappeared.
Hair styles varied as well: pompadours, chignons or ‘Dullae Meori’ were in vogue. Traditional and western style clothing continued to be worn together and sometimes a coat was worn over the traditional dress instead of the ‘Durhumagee’, two piece or one piece suits were still preferred and at the close of the 1910s, the length of the skirt shortened.
In the 1920s, the trend in women’s clothing moved closer to the western model. The so-called group of ‘modern women’, despite the criticism they received from society, stimulated and motivated the concepts of women’s dress. Following the western style, they wore boyish short skirts or one piece suits as well as bobbed hair, which drew great attention from the public. Cloche hats on bobbed hair, one piece suits, jackets, sweaters and skirts were introduced and coats or capes were in fashion. It was also then that sportswear and bathing suits were first introduced.
Western style fashions brought changes in the traditional dress, shortening the length of a skirt up to the point of the knee. Replacing traditional hairdos, bobbed hair spread among students who were wearing seamed traditional skirts, socks, shoes, handbags, shawls and parasols, often worn along with traditional clothing. In the 1920s, there were also changes in women’s footwear ; rubber shoes(Gomushin)replaced traditional shoes such as ‘Cho-hae’, or ‘Dang-hae’.
In the 1930s, the latter half of the colonial period, women’s western clothing was especially diverse. Permanent waves were introduced and various kinds of hats were also in fashion. The feminine silhouette was in fashion along with flared one piece dressed with raglan sleeves or skirts. Varied colors were very popular during that period.
Mixtures of traditional dress and western clothing continued during the 30s. Parasols and shawls were often used along with the traditional dresses and more women carried handbags with them. There was variety in shoes as well: sports, shoes, leather shoes and sandals were commonly worn.
In the late 30s, as Japan was preparing for war, extravagant clothing was prohibited by the Japanese government and most women, even the students, had to wear ‘Mombbeh(loose pants with tightened ends around ankles)’.
After Liberation, Korean women began to wear traditional dresses again to show their delight. However, due to the shortage of materials right after the war, many people wore recycled military uniforms of ‘Mom-bbeh’. On the other hand, the number of people wearing western style clothing gradually increased as there were black market fabrics and relief clothes available. Of course women’s increased participation in social activities outside the home was another factor in this change. The military style came into vogue then as it had during the colonial period.
As the society achieved stability with the establishment of the R.O.K. government in 1948, women’s clothing westernized more rapidly. Unfortunately, however, the Korean War broke out in 1950 depressing the clothing business as a whole.
Regenerated military uniforms or relief clothes provided most of the clothing during the war. Nevertheless, velvet skirts, coats and suits were in vogue even under these dark circumstances. Some women wore the “New Look Style” which was newly imported, but the military look remained more common. There were a few who still loved wearing the reformed traditional dresses, but women wearing western style clothing outnumbered them on the whole.
Post-was clothing(1953-1960)was much the same as that worn during the war but there was one major change: that was the introduction of nylon. As women began to spend more time outside the home and the mass media responded to the new social atmosphere, women’s clothing improved as well. Western fashion was more rapidly introduced thanks to the media and accordingly hairdos, accessories, and shoes become more varied. The “New Look”, H line, A line, Empire line, sack dress and mambo trousers were in fashion then.
Korean women’s clothing changed as society began to modernize. Therefore, the social and culture influences in each period are very important factors directing the change in women’s clothing. I expect there will be further full-scale studies in this field in the furture.