Style

Kaitlyn Real

2024

I am a writer, artist, and creative visionary who also loves fashion and anything historical. This piece was written for my English 4 class with Mr. Cutrone. It is inspired by "The Anthropocene" by John Green, and is a 14-page narrative essay in MLA format. I have included a Works Cited page. I chose to write about the evolution of style and what it reflects about humanity. I involved archaeological research in this essay, which helps support my main arguments. You may see my writing style as repetitive, but I am, in fact, quite passionate about this particular topic. I hope you enjoy reading this piece, and gain some insight into my world. Check out "The Anthropocene" by John Green, or perhaps other creative works of mine! Thank you.

Style

I remember when I was little, roaming through my nonita’s closet and trying on every

single one of her shoes. I remember the smell of the expensive leather filling my nose and the

darkness of the closet that was lit only by the cracked door that led to her bathroom. Looking

back at it, I am not sure why she even has a closet in her bathroom – but she still lives in that

house to this day, along with many other family members. I remember the dim, neon glow from

plastic stars on the wall and ceiling – and I felt like I was truly looking at a sky. Those

glow-in-the-dark stars barely worked, but I was charmed by it anyway.

However, the thing that I had always loved was trying on those expensive shoes. I can’t

remember just how many she has, but she most likely owns at least twenty to thirty pairs of

shoes in that tiny closet. Shiny heels and long, high-heeled boots that I could never fit. I could

have gone hours trying on those shoes and feeling all of the beautiful clothes that hung in her

closet. Even in her elderly age and condition, she still finds a way to look fashionable whenever

she goes out. Fabulous outfits, matching sets of manicured nails, and a touch of makeup.

Either way, my nonita has never been vain. Her love for style comes from a love of fun

and – even though she is in pain most of the time, she still manages to put on a smile. You may

as well look good while you’re doing it. She lives a humble life, and I have always known her as

the most kind and patient person that I have ever met – like sunshine on a rainy day, or a warm

hug. I think this is where I inherited my love for fashion, from her.

As both a child and a teenager, I had never been interested in fashion. I had a phase in

middle school where I would wear nothing but hoodies and gave up wearing earrings because I

didn’t consider myself a “girly girl,” most of which was caused by internal misogyny. However, I

had a love for history since early in my middle school days, which began with a children’s

television show called Liberty’s Kids and Hamilton: The Musical. It wasn’t until later that I

began to dive into the world of historical fashion, learning about the different trends throughout

the recent centuries. Combined with an interest in film, costume design, and art – as well as a

fascination with anthropology, this would ultimately lead me to the topic of this review: style, or

more specifically; what style reflects about humanity.

According to an article on MasterClass, “Style refers to a person’s particular way of

expressing themselves–whether that’s through clothing, writing style, or a style of architecture.

In the fashion world, “style” is usually shorthand for “personal style,” or the way an individual

expresses themselves through aesthetic choices such as their clothing accessories, hairstyles, and

the way they put an outfit together.” Ultimately, style is a form of self-expression through

clothing, makeup, hairstyles, and accessories. Most everyone has some form of personal style,

even if they only wear hoodies and sweatpants on the daily (MasterClass).

However, style is different from fashion. “Fashion is the dominant style within a given

culture at a certain time. Fashion has to do with new trends: It refers to popular ways of dressing

during a specific era,” MasterClass stated. “The fashion industry deals with the prevailing styles

of the present. Fashion houses host fashion shows to highlight clothing that expresses a vision for

the future of fashion. Fashion bloggers, editors, and influencers then respond to that vision with

their own ideas, and retailers use all that information to sell clothes to the public. A major part of

fashion is the way the latest trends are disseminated, whether via social media or in fashion

magazines like Vogue.” Therefore, fashion refers to temporary trends that are popular within a

certain culture or society at a certain point in time (MasterClass).

According to an article by Kyle Thibodeaux for the Gentleman’s Gazette, “By design,

fashion changes constantly and usually arbitrarily because fashion is often valuable precisely

because it is new and different,” and as Yves Saint Laurent once said; “Fashion fades, style is

eternal.” What this means is that fashion refers to temporary trends that are popular within a

certain culture or society at a certain point in time. Fashion trends are temporary and frequently

change, but style is prevalent throughout time (Thibodeaux).

For almost the entirety of human history, there has been style. From the simple practice

of adorning cloth with shells, teeth, and small bones – to wearing crinolines and corsets. Style

has been a consistent concept in many different cultures and religions throughout history, and

there have been many parallels between cultures regarding clothing. Somehow, there has always

been that human desire to express ourselves, to display our culture, religion, or status – to show

who we are. However, the inevitable question is when humans evolved from wearing clothing

simply for survival – to becoming advanced enough to style their clothes.

To answer this question, we will need to go back in time to see when humans originally

began to make clothing, and the first evidence of this practice. Of course, there would not be any

surviving pieces from this time because cloth easily decomposes. Therefore, the only evidence of

clothing would be bone tools, animal remains, or early evidence of lice.

Brian Handwerk, a Science Correspondent for the Smithsonian Magazine, as well as

Nicola Davis, a Science Correspondent for The Guardian; reported that in 2021, Emily Hallet,

part of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, visited Morrocco

to study animal bones that had been found in the Contrebandiers Cave on Morrocco’s Atlantic

Coast. She wanted to study the types of animals that humans from the Pleistocene Period may

have eaten – and more specifically, how they would have prepared them. However, she would

later make an unrelated yet fascinating discovery – bone tools similar to the tools we use today to

process animal hide into leather (Handwerk and Davis).

Hallet later wrote a study on her findings with the late Harold Dibble, a well-known

archeologist from the University of Pennsylvania. They had found sixty-two varying bone tools

that dated back to at least ninety thousand to one hundred thousand years ago. These tools were

specialized, despite their age, which suggests that humans had been scraping hides far earlier

than this – but with less specialized tools. They had even found a single tooth from a marine

organism found in the cave that dated back to at least 113,000 years ago. The bone still needs to

be tested to determine what species it came from, but experts believe that it had come from a

sperm whale. Archeologists believe that it could have been used as a flaking tool (Handwerk and

Davis).

They had also found the remains of sand foxes, golden jackals, and wildcats in the cave.

The skulls had distinct marks on their chins, similar to the marks inflicted upon animals today

when they are skinned. This evidence suggests that North Africans were creating and wearing

clothing for a long time before the great migrations began, which would ultimately lead to the

roots of all non-Africans (Handwerk and Davis).

In 2011, David Reed, an associate curator for the Florida Museum of Natural History,

conducted a study of the relationship between lice and humans. This study showed that humans

began to create and wear clothes at least 170,000 years ago – and suggested the practice began at

least 180,000 years ago in the preceding Ice Age. When humans began to inevitably grow body

hair, along with the appearance of lice in the world, Reed had determined the estimated date of

when humans began to wear clothing – which helped them migrate out of Africa (Reed and

University of Florida).

Now that we know the earliest date that humans began to wear clothing, the question is

when humans became advanced enough to style their clothes. To do this, we need to go back in

time to the earliest evidence of style in practice, both in artistic depictions and in burials.

According to an article written by Jeremy M. Norman, as well as the World History

Encyclopedia, the earliest artistic depiction of what is assumed to be hair, would be The Venus of

Brassempouy – an Upper Paleolithic ivory carving in a female form. The piece is also frequently

called The Lady of Brassempouy, or “La Dame de Brassempouy” in French. It had been carved

from a mammoth tusk fragment during the Ice Age and is assumed to be the depiction of a

woman due to the predominantly female facial features. The carvings on her head are assumed to

be a type of hairstyle or headdress, which indicates a sense of style during the Ice Age. It is about

25,000 years old, having been carved between 24,000 to 26,000 years ago (Norman and World

History Encyclopedia).

According to Dr. Bryant Zygmont, and Malora Cann of West Virginia University, as well

as an article written by John Blakely, they report that another early artistic depiction of what is

assumed to be hair, the Venus of Willendorf – a Paleolithic carving. It is assumed that the carving

depicts a female body, not because of any visible facial features, but because of the pronounced

and emphasized breasts and genitalia. Historians believe that it may have been a depiction of a

fertility goddess, which was carved during the Ice Age at around 24,000-22,000 BCE. The

detailed carvings on her head are assumed to be a type of braided hairstyle or headdress, which

indicates a sense of style during the Ice Age – though historians are unsure what the carving is

truly meant to depict (Zygmont, Cann, and Blakely).

This research shows that humans have been styling their hair in different ways since the

Ice Age, and it is fascinating to know that almost since the dawn of time, having a beautiful

hairstyle has been a unanimous desire. There are a multitude of different types of hairstyles in the

various cultures across the world, despite different hair textures, and many of them are similar

despite those cultures never meeting until a specific point in time. This is proof that humans have

always acted like humans, and that people have ultimately had the same behaviors throughout

history.

Sometimes, I think of the little girls during those ancient times who had their hair played

with and styled by their mothers. What did they talk about? Was the mother of those girls rough

with a hairbrush like mine used to be in my childhood? Did they go up to their mother and ask

for a hairstyle that they saw all the other girls wearing? Perhaps, they smiled in the end at the

finished product and hopped along to go show it off to their family or friends. All of these

speculations make me feel closer to humanity because we have always been the same despite

different cultures and political climates.

However, there is more evidence of such practices; in separate articles written by

Alessandra de Nardis and Matt Hrodey, there have also been a multitude of burials discovered

from the time of the Gravettian hunter-gatherer society in Ice Age Europe – and these findings

indicate a sense of style during this time. The Gravettian culture existed during the Upper

Paleolithic Period, at least 20,000 to 29,000 years ago. Within these burials, it was discovered

that high-status members would sew shells, small bones, and teeth into their clothing. Many

female Gravettians were found wearing a type of “cap” or “bonnet” weaved with shells – which

ultimately indicates the intention of styling their clothing, whether it be to display status, a form

of cultural significance, or simply self-expression (Nardis and Hrodey).

As Marillyn Scallan reported in a Smithsonian article; the earliest evidence of tattoos had

been discovered etched onto the preserved body of a European Tyrolean Iceman, whom

historians call “Otzi the Iceman.” When he died around 3250 BCE, he ultimately became trapped

in a glacier in the Alps along the Austrian-Italian border – the cold temperatures preserving his

body. There were sixty-one tattoos found on his body, specifically on his left wrist, legs, back,

and torso. The second earliest evidence of tattoos had been found on a Chinchorro mummy in

South America, the tattoo was drawn in a thin line that is assumed to depict a mustache. This

man died around 4,000 BCE and is assumed to have been between 35 to 40 years old (Scallan).

According to an essay written by British Archeologist, Melanie Giles, as well as separate

articles by Kathleen Kuiper and Joshua Levine; in the past 400 years, archeologists have

discovered extremely well-preserved Iron Age burials in Northern Europe. The cause of this

preservation was due to a layer of waterlogged peat that the victims had been buried in.

Archeologists call them “The Bog People,” and unfortunately, many of the deaths were found to

have been violent, with strangulation and hanging being the leading causes. Historians believe

that these victims may have been used as human sacrifices. Their hair is perfectly preserved,

having turned a reddish tint from Sphagnum Moss, and the victims were found with “combed,

braided, or dreadlocked hair.” This suggests a sense of style during the Iron Age around these

particular regions, whether it be a form of cultural significance, a display of status,

self-expression, or even post-mortem hairstyles (Giles, Kuiper, and Levine).

To summarize this research – humans have always had the desire to express themselves

or to show their belonging to a cultural, religious, or economic group. When humans had evolved

to a more advanced status in society, we wanted a way to distinguish ourselves; so we began to

decorate our clothing and wear different hairstyles. In different cultures around the world, there

have always been traditions that we have followed, which derive from the human behaviors of

our ancestors. Style is a form of creativity, cultural or self-expression, and ingenuity, as humanity

has created so many different forms of style throughout history.

However, there are negative aspects of style that have shown their ugly face across time,

such as harmful trends. As Susan Isaacs reports, these trends go back to Ancient Egypt, where

they would use kohl eyeliner -- which dates back to at least 3100 BCE. Higher classes would use

kohl made out of higher-quality materials, while the lower class created lower-quality dupes with

the materials that they could access. Not only was it used as eyeliner, but they claimed that it

could protect their eyes from the sun, and prevent eye infections. While the claim seems dubious

at first, this ancient practice has been proven by modern science (Isaacs).

As stated by Aimee Heidelberg; “Kohl eyeliner used a variety of ingredients, from burnt

almonds, black manganese oxide, malachite, ochre, but at times would also be made of galena,

which contains a lead sulfide, or the slightly less toxic antimony sulfide (Heidelberg)." Lead

sulfide is unfortunately toxic to the human body, and can lead to lead poisoning. “The Mayo

Clinic says lead poisoning can lead to memory deficiency, joint and muscle pain, high blood

pressure, headaches, and at high levels, it can be fatal (Heidelberg)."

Using lead-based makeup has been a common practice throughout history, one good

example of this is Elizabeth I, who used a thick, white lead-based product on her face. This may

have given her a pale appearance, as well as covering up her smallpox scars, but she would later

be a victim of skin discoloration, hair loss, and teeth discoloration. After all, lead is known to

turn the skin a yellow shade, as well as make it appear "wrinkled and leathery (Heidelberg)." She

is suspected to have died from lead poisoning -- though this is a claim debated by historians

(Heidelberg).

During the Victorian Era, mercury nitrate was used in the process of felt hatmaking. The

chemical would stiffen the fur, and then it would be steamed. However, hatmakers would

ultimately inhale the fumes of mercury nitrate, that of which is toxic to the human body.

According to Heidelburg, “Mercury nitrate is a neurotoxin that causes headaches, personality

changes, tremors, gastrointestinal problems, delirium, and “hatters shakes,” tremors and anxiety

that come along with mercury toxicity (Heidelburg)." This is ultimately where the term "Mad

Hatter" originates from (Heidelburg).

Another popular Victorian practice was the use of Scheele's Green, sometimes called

Paris Green. It was used in a multitude of products, such as wallpaper, clothing, toys, artificial

flowers, and even candy. Karl Scheele had created the formula for this shade in the 1770s, but

unfortunately used copper arsenite -- which is toxic to the human body if exposed. Arsenic

poisoning could cause headaches, cramping, and vomiting; and wearing the color could cause

nail discoloration, rashes, skin lesions, color leaching, and sores. It can even cause death.

However, Scheele was aware that the copper arsenite that he used in his product was highly toxic

-- but continued to produce it, regardless of the effects, to increase his profits from the popular

dye (Heidelberg).

This behavior is still present in the looming corporations across the world, and Scheele is

a past reflection of this, of corporations who continue production regardless of the effects on

their workers and consumers. When I say that people have always been people, it is not always

meant in a positive light. Cruelty and lack of empathy have been present throughout the entirety

of humanity and persists even today.

Another harmful trend from the Victorian Era was the practice of tightlacing. Women

would tighten the laces of their corsets to achieve the illusion of a smaller waist than they truly

had, and extreme tightening of the laces could lead to poor digestion in the abdominal organs,

atrophy in the back muscles, and rib deformation; as reported by Susan Isaacs.

This is not to say that the use of corsets is entirely negative. It has served as a structure

for the bodice and the heavy garments that Victorian women wore similar to the modern bra

today. While tightlacing is a harmful practice on the human body, the stigma of corsets was

worsened by exaggerated, "expert" reports rooted in falsehoods and misogyny.

During the mid-19th century, it became popular to wear immensely wide skirts -- which

had been achieved by a contraption called the crinoline. It began as a stiff petticoat but

eventually evolved into a metal cage that women would wear under their overskirts. It could

ultimately create a length of at least 6 feet (or 18 meters). As electricity had not yet been utilized,

many women would have their gowns caught on fire because of the extreme length. On July 9th,

1861, a woman named Fanny Wordsworth would have her gown caught on fire and suffered,

severe burns, dying a day later. Two sisters of Oscar Wilde would suffer this same fate at a

Halloween party in 1871, ultimately dying in November from their injuries. Not exactly the

smartest move and the crinoline eventually went out of fashion (Heidelberg).

In China, many women practiced something called foot binding, which began in the 8th

century up until the 20th century. Women desired the illusion of small feet, those of which were

seen as having high status. Average-sized feet were seen as "unladylike" and "lower class."

Beginning from ages two to seven, little girls would be forced to have their toes broken and bent

back to fit into small, dainty shoes that they did not fit. When unbound to repeat the process,

their feet would be covered in pus and sores as the foot grew around itself, the bone growing

abnormally. These women could barely walk on their deformed feet, and would constantly

contract gangrene -- which was seen as a positive thing because it had the possibility of making

the toes disappear anyway. In 1912, foot binding was outlawed, though some communities still

practiced foot binding in secret (Heidelberg).

This is a part of history that truly disgusted me. The idea that women would break their

bones just for the sake of appearing "beautiful" and avoiding being labeled as "lower class;"

causes me to be angry with humanity, to be angry with the world. However, at the very least,

they could have practiced this on themselves -- but no. Society, mothers, in particular, forced this

practice onto their children. They would break their children's bones, causing them immense

pain, suffering, trauma, and resentment for the rest of their lives. It disgusts me to a horrific

degree. Sometimes, humanity is utterly disgusting.

One last harmful trend that will be listed, though certainly not at all the last in history, is

the use and consumption of radium. In both the 19th and 20th centuries, the Periodic element,

Radium, was used in a variety of products, such as cosmetics, facial creams, toothpaste, and

accessories. It was widely used to maintain a youthful appearance and the prevention of

wrinkles, as well as overall health. Some people even consumed it as a drink. Used in the

manufacture of glow-in-the-dark watches, the predominantly female factory workers would lick

the tip of the brushes to achieve a fine point, exposing them to the element. Unfortunately,

radium is highly toxic to the human body due to its radioactivity (Heidelberg).

Using radium-infused products on the skin did not have extreme effects, but those who

consumed it would later have horrifying symptoms. Mollie Maggia, one of the "Radium Girls,"

as they are now called, consulted a dentist for jaw pain -- who had ultimately discovered that her

entire jaw was crumbling. Many more "Radium Girls" would speak out, developing symptoms

such as tumors, pain, and unexpected death. Eben Bryers, the president of a steel company and a

known golf champion, drank three bottles of Radithor every day to maintain his health and

youthful appearance. Later in life, his teeth would end up falling out as his jaw completely

disintegrated. Despite the surgical removal of his jaw, he ultimately died in 1932.

Not only do these harmful trends have negative effects on humans, but they also have

detrimental effects on animals. According to World Animal Protection, “Each year, thousands of

Australian crocodiles already suffer a short, crowded life before a brutal death. Typically,

crocodiles are electrocuted to immobilise them before travel or slaughter. The charge is given on

the back of the neck for 4-6 seconds through a pole with a set of metal prongs on the end, before

the back of the neck is cut, and the brain is pierced.” They also make the claim that; “French

luxury fashion brand Hermès is planning to open a massive new farm in the Northern Territory.

If it opens, the farm will house up to 50,000 saltwater crocodiles to be slaughtered for

non-essential luxury items like handbags, belts, and shoes. Three to four crocodiles are killed just

to make one expensive luxury handbag. They are truly victims of fashion.”

Alexandra Wood reported that during the 20th century, wide-brimmed hats were at the

peak of their popularity, and it would become a trend for women to attach feathers to them.

Feathered-pinned hats were all the rage during this time, and people loved them so much that

many species of birds went extinct from the wide use of their feathers for fashionable purposes.

Not only were feathers attached to these wide-brimmed hats, but entire taxidermied birds as well.

Great Crested Grebes and Sea Cliff Breeding Kittiwakes were both driven to extinction (Wood).

Animal cruelty has been a constant in the world of fashion, mainly for the use of fur or

feathers in clothing and accessories. From ermine fur to crocodile skin, a multitude of animals

have been brutally killed for the sake of "beauty," or for the sake of a trend. It would be different

if these animals were not hunted for sport and if their entire bodies were used respectfully.

However, that is simply not the case. Animals are the unfortunate victims of humans, who almost

do not care enough to preserve their lives -- or at least give them a good one. It is a flaw in

humanity, our carelessness and lack of empathy. One day, there will be many species to have

gone extinct and we will have nothing but storybooks to tell us about their stories.

The same goes for the trends that are harmful among the human population. We hurt our

bodies to the most extreme level just for the sake of "beauty," just for the sake of being accepted

by the society that scorns those who do not fit in. As they say, "beauty is pain," but beauty is

unfair. Eurocentric beauty standards, as well as sexism, all play a horrible part in this messed up

system.

However, while humanity is certainly flawed, we are not at all inherently cruel. To say

that humanity is inherently...anything would be a falsehood; because we are extremely complex

beings. We are capable of kindness and love. After all, the history of style originated with a

unanimous, human desire to express ourselves. I go back and think of the little girls who had

their hair braided by their mothers thousands of years ago, the teenagers who tried on their prom

dresses and felt beautiful for the first time in their lives, and the elderly women who still apply

lipstick after all these years and have fun despite their growing age.

I think of myself. I think of my nonita. I even think of you, reader.

I still have hope in us, and I would like to believe that we can be good, that we are good.

Overall, the concept and practice of style has been around for thousands of years. It is our

way of expressing who we are as a person, that we are here, and that we have lived. Not only that

-- but it shows that we have loved, we will love, and that we have enjoyed our lives to the best of

our abilities.

Style is creativity and ingenuity. Style is art.

I rate style 3.5 stars.

Works Cited

“Fashion vs. Style: Key Differences Between Fashion and Style. MasterClass, 7 June

2021,

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/key-differences-between-fashion-and-style#5NhZFUAkIJ

AZdnwjEpG6vm”

“Thibodeaux, Kyle. Fashion vs. Style: What’s the Difference? Gentlemen’s Gazette,

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/fashion-vs-style/”

“Handwerk, Brian. Evidence of Fur and Leather Clothing, Among World’s Oldest, Found

in Moroccan Cave. Smithsonian Magazine, 16 September 2021,

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/evidence-of-fur-and-leather-clothing-among-w

orlds-oldest-found-in-moroccan-cave-180978689/”

“Davis, Nicola. Scientists find evidence of humans making clothes 120,000 years ago.

The Guardian, 16 September 2021,

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/16/scientists-find-evidence-of-humans-making-cl

othes-120000-years-ago”

“UF study of lice DNA shows humans first wore clothes 170,000 years ago. University of

Florida News, Study written by David Reed, 6 January 2011,

https://news.ufl.edu/archive/2011/01/uf-study-of-lice-dna-shows-humans-first-wore-clothes-170

000-years-ago.html”

“Norman M., Jeremy. The Venus of Brassempouy, One of the Earliest Known Realistic

Representations of a Human Face. History of Information, 3 January 2024,

https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=2123”

“Lady of Brassempoy. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian

Institution, 29 June 2022,

https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/art-music/figurines/lady-brassempouy

“Groeneveld, Emma. Venus of Brassempoy. World History Encyclopedia, Photographed

by Jean-Gilles Berizzi