Dressing Dykes

Lesbian Fashion History

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About Me

I’m Eleanor Medhurst (she/her), a historian of queer fashion and culture and the author of Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion (2024). I live in Brighton with my wife.

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What did people wear to Brighton Dyke Pride? Obviously I had to post something for the first ever #LesbianHistoryDay! So: how do we actually define “lesbian history”? 💜 Happy 6th Birthday, @dressingdykes! 🎉 What makes femme lesbian fashion?? I’ve been thinking about Elizabeth Wilson’s outfit for the 1971 Gay Liberation Ball a lot recently, and it turned into this. So let’s look at a few examples of fashionable, feminine outfits worn by lesbians in the 1940s, ‘70s and ‘90s! 👠 I’ve loved reading about the relationship between May Morris and her partner MF in @alicehattrick’s incredible book ‘Fancy Work’, which explores textile craft as a method for expressing and considering overlooked lives and queer love (and so much more). Lesbian and trans histories have always been connected, and you can’t explore the complexities of lesbian life while ignoring trans existence and possibilities, especially in the past. This page has always been trans-inclusionary. Here are a few examples. I’m going to be talking about lesbian fashion history as part of @queerbath on the 20th June! It’s also a chance to pick up a copy of Unsuitable in paperback if you haven’t already got one. Hope I’ll see you there! 💜🎩 #queerbath #pridemonth #lesbianhistory #fashionhistory #lgbthistory Louisa Martindale was a surgeon and suffragist, the first female GP in Brighton, and lived with a woman for three decades. I learnt about her the other day during the ‘Fearless and Fabulous Women of Hove’ walking tour (on throughout Brighton Fringe, definitely go if you’re in the city). She was incredible — she set up the New Sussex Hospital for Women, which provided a space for women to access free medical treatment, and spoke openly about topics like prostitution and venereal disease when these were seen as completely taboo. INTERVIEW CALL-OUT! 📢