Holy hell, the miniskirts. I know it was progressive for its time, women’s lib, etc. But: Female officers bending over console, butt swell hanging out. Almost every episode, over sexualized women needlessly emotional, constantly falling into male arms. Barely clothed, wisps of fabric. Spock saying that Kirk’s alter ego trying to rape his female officer made him interesting.
I’m at episode 14, 1st season. Is the rest of the series like this?
That said, there’s a hard, pure science to it I haven’t seen in later star treks. Can see how people then would find it fascinating. Also gets deep, in a weighty, high drama way.
Miniskirts were empowering for women in the 60s. It showed they didn’t have to be demure and prudish and have sex for the first time with their husband on their wedding night. This is 1950s clothing for women:
Miniskirts said “I am a sexual being. I am allowed to enjoy myself without a husband.”
Yes, they also had the effect of letting men ogle them, but it was overall meant to be empowering.
The pearl clutching with younger folks today, good lord. “My heavens! Those poor women were sexualized!” Yeah, they choose to be sexy as a middle finger to gender roles at the time. Ya know, the exact opposite of conservative Arab culture. “Oh no! Society is forcing them to wear too many clothes!” LOL, FFS y’all, get a grip.
And yes, you nailed it. That sort of attire was verboten in the 50s, simply wasn’t done. Woman started breaking free in the 60s and the miniskirt is a solid example of that. Next people will be wringing their hands over bikinis. Same thing.
SOURCE: My mom was one of those women.
I can honestly see why someone who grew up in an era when women can get away with wearing virtually anything they want but also an era where men viewing women as pieces of meat are rightfully frowned upon would have trouble understanding the Sexual Revolution and its effects on women’s clothing.
Of course, in the context of the show, the miniskirts are more perceived as forced sexuality, since they are the general outfit required of female Federation members. So the idea of choice and self-actualization isn’t really that obvious to see in the setting the show gives off.
To be fair, this was one of the reasons they had male extras wear skirts in TNG. Not TOS, but in I believe the very first episode of TNG we see male extras in skirts.
Those are skants. That’s what the fans call them.
If we saw there were more options, this would not be a concern. But with the 2 more prominent characters they definitely wanted to sex up the show, so there was no chance they would choose to let them have a choice.
Been reading articles on it, while working thru 1st season. You are spot on. The oversexualizing of TOS women is cringe worthy in retrospect. But at the time, Hayes code, puritan morality: women told they can be sexual, was groundbreaking, revolutionary back then. I was born in the 70s, much has changed since then.
This is a good thing. If society is progressing, then every generation should look back and be kinda horrified. Yes it’s because they don’t understand the context, but they will if we teach them.
If they weren’t clutching their pearls to I’d be worried that nothing was changing for the better. If you think the past is great, you’re in a decline.
While you aren’t wrong, it is worth mentioning that miniskirts weren’t just about sexual empowerment. In the context of Star Trek and from an overall societal perspective, yes, but plenty of women and girls of all ages just wore them, because it was a massive trend that swept across the globe - and because they looked good. In my mother’s case, it was primary school peer pressure that motivated her to beg her parents for such a skirt. Same as with flattering and revealing fashion in the coming decades, including today.
Always funny when you talk to someone that has a more old school feminist attitude and they start going about women dressing sexy as a way to please men and they wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for that… Just ask “Are your saying that these women are unable to choose for themselves what they want to wear? Because that sounds very reductive to me…”
So bound to their gender roles that one lady is wearing dishwashing gloves as a fashion statement.