larkandkatydid

Not only were there real, existing feminists who hated corsets and marriage in the 19th century, but especially if you’re talking about Louisa May Alcott and the kind of New England progressive ideas she held and that her characters hold, these were inextricable from abolitionism! The kind of New England abolitionist women that the Marches are a fictional version of were openly scornful of a lot of popular fashions and kinds of parties because they hated slave-grown cotton and the decadence of Slave Power.

girlbossjodiarias

i must know the stupid post that inspired this.

littledeconstruction

YEP. Little Women is set during the Civil War (and their father is involved).

there’s a scene where Meg goes to a party, and she is embarrassed by her clothing, because her dress is old and out of fashion in style and fabric, and just generally a dress you’d wear to work rather than to a party.

The other girls have light, airy, fashionable new cotton dresses — cotton that almost definitely comes from slaves, and almost definitely was brought in the black market, because obviously you don’t have open trades with the enemy during war.

Meg ends up borrowing and wearing a nice new cotton dress herself, and she’s basically called a hypocritical slut, hah. Alcott was not very forgiving.

dhaaruni