Columnist Suzanne Fields looks at the fashion runways and sees the collapse of radical feminism wafting towards us in a frilly dress:
“While many in high fashion continue the never-ending search for avant-garde shock, there’s nevertheless a recognizable yearning today by young women for fashion both feminine and romantic. Certain shows in Paris are responding, for better and sometimes worse, to satisfy wishes for ruffles, pompoms and bows, something described as ‘girlie-girl frilly’ and ‘powder-puff prettiness.’ One New York buyer at the Paris shows harrumphed: ‘But what if you’re not a virgin?’
“This is not, to be sure, the fashion that feminists burnt their bras to achieve. But feminism as we have known it is in its descendency, and it’s just possible that the fashion now emerging reflects the old allure that aims to attract a man for keeps, rather than for a fleeting ‘hookup.’ When The New York Times reported that certain Ivy League women say they intend to set aside a career in favor of raising their children, the newspaper was bombarded with angry letters of feminists decrying a return to a ’50s mindset. Nevertheless the examples spoke eloquently. In interviews, considerably more than half of 138 freshmen and seniors at Yale said they intend to cut back on work, or quit entirely when they have children.”