ETSU students have not been strangers to changing fashion trends, so let’s travel back to the early years of the East Tennessean to see how campus fashion has evolved.
The 1920s was an era of rebellious fashion influenced by post-war economic booms, advances in women’s rights and admiration for ancient cultures.
Illustrations and advertisements from “The Chalk Line,” the original title for the East Tennessean, depict the flapper style of campus.
This illustration from 1924 showcases the traditional flapper with Marcel waves, Cupid’s bow shaped lips and exaggerated eyes. An ad also appears for the “flapperette,” which claims to be “the universal flapper shoe for the summer.”
Many other ads showcased barber shops, shoe stores, women’s hosiery and men’s suits and tailoring. Broyles-Worley Co. advertised tailoring for camel’s hair coats with the tagline “established English university styles, tailored over youthful charts solely for distinguished service in the United States.”
Another post-war fashion boom was experienced in the 1940s and 1950s. Similarly to the 1920s, economic booms brought an era of lavish consumption, but 1950s style focused more on normativity rather than rebellion.
In a 1948 picture, women are taking part in Sorority Rush week and wearing silky gowns inspired by Dior’s new look, which launched in 1947.
In an article from that year titled “Girls—Take a Glance,” the author espouses the need for women on campus to adjust their posture to avoid lab and lecture slumps.
In another article titled “Chemical Annalysis of Creature Known as Woman,” the author claims the “Accepted atomic weight” of women is 125, their “chemical properties” include “possesses great affinity for gold, platinum and precious stones” and their uses are “highly ornamental.”
We may not see these ads or styles pop-up on campus today, but it is clear to see that even universities were not immune to the social pressures and fashion trends of greater society.
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