Portrait of Katherine Hepburn , 1938
Photograph

American actress Katherine Hepburn was another fashion influence on Chinese Canadian women of the 1940s by leading the trend of sportswear and freeing women’s bodies from restrained clothes. Hepburn spread the casual, leisure look of the 1940s through both her on-screen and off-screen appearances. She was remembered for her high-waisted slacks, button-down shirts, and use of trousers. At the time, some women started to wear trousers on semi-formal occasions. However, Hepburn made the wearing of trousers highly visible in the public eye. Her self-fashioning promoted freedom of movement and women’s autonomy over their bodies, inspiring Chinese Canadian women to use fashion as an emotional outlet and a way to restore power.

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Violet Wolfe

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