The Suffragettes white Edwardian dresses and sashes were political genius. They were also racist.

We're all in a feminist rage over the Supreme Court leak that might overturn Roe vs Wade, but the Suffragette movement is not the feminist icon we should look to : the Suffragettes white feminism and racism showed through in their protest outfits of lacy Edwardian dresses and a distinctive striped sash. Fashion history isn't just pretty historical dresses, it's learning what clothes mean, and there is a whole lot of meaning and ugliness under all that lace. Suffragette white is idolized as a form of womens' rights protest to the present day, but the Suffragette clothes we remember were carefully chosen political symbols. White Edwardian clothing was popular for everyone, so an Edwardian white dress or blouse made for an accessible and sometimes sneaky uniform. Suffragette dress was aggressively feminine, relying on Western gender norms of "pure" and "virtuous" and "delicate" femininity to subvert criticisms of the Votes for Women movement. As in the Suffragette movie, these women's rights protestors could be militant and aggressive, but leveraging gender roles changed the political narrative by showing that they had no intention to truly smash the patriarchy, they simply wanted to hold onto their own power as the social order changed. The suffragette sash and colors had carefully chosen political messaging too. While the UK purple and green sash is slightly better recognized, the US Suffragette movement more often used purple and gold. The gold represented the Kansas sunf