The Ideographic Function and Aesthetic Changes of Women's Clothing in American Film Waves

Kexuan Qian

doi:10.54254/2753-7064/2025.LC26345

Communications in Humanities ResearchOpen access

The Ideographic Function and Aesthetic Changes of Women's Clothing in American Film Waves

Research Article

Open Access

The Ideographic Function and Aesthetic Changes of Women's Clothing in American Film Waves

Kexuan Qian ^1*

¹ Nanjing Hexi Foreign Language School

^*Corresponding author: 2724529953@qq.com

Published on 27 August 2025

CHR Vol.76

ISSN (Print): 2753-7072

ISSN (Online): 2753-7064

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-146-4

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-284-3

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Abstract

American movies are essential in global film art because of their mature industry and wide cultural influence. As a form of art, film clothing doesn't just shape characters' looks—it's also a key way to show cultural meanings, feelings, and identities. From the early 1900s to now, American films have gone through the Silent Film Era, the Golden Age of Hollywood, the New Hollywood Movement, and modern diverse development. Each period's social and cultural features left marks on films, making female images and clothing change significantly. Women's clothing in films has more functions than decoration. It can show a character's personality, social class, and emotions and reflect a particular time's social thoughts and cultural values. At the same time, its aesthetic style has changed along with film development and social changes, from the early fancy style that showed women's softness to a modern style that values personality and self-expression. This shows how women's social status has improved, aesthetics have changed, and film art has developed. This study examines how women's clothing has changed in different periods of American films, and analyzes its functions and aesthetic changes. It helps us understand American film art, culture, and society through clothing, and provides new ways to study films and fashion.

Keywords:

American films, women's clothing, ideographic function, aesthetic changes, social culture

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References

[1]. Stanciu, C. (2022). Making Americans: Spectacular Nationalism, Americanization, and Silent Film. Journal of American Studies, 56(1), 1-37.

[2]. McQueen, A. L. (2016). After'The Golden Age': An Industrial History of the Hollywood Musical, 1955-1975. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.

[3]. Doan, L. (1998). Passing fashions: reading female masculinities in the 1920s. FEMINIST STUDIES-NEW YORK THEN COLLEGE PARK-, 24, 663-700.

[4]. Qiang Gu, D. F. A., & Zhou, R. (2025). The Role Shaping of Film Makeup in the Evolution of Social Concepts: Taking Representative Works from Different Historical Periods as an Example. Cultura: International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, 22(1).

[5]. Carnicero Herrero, L. (2021). Women in American movies: an analysis of three 20th Century films.

[6]. Bezruchko, O., Gavran, I., Korablova, N., Oborska, S., & Chmil, H. (2024). Stage costume as an important element of the subject environment in cinema and theatre. E-Revista de Estudos Interculturais, (12).

[7]. Rees-Roberts, N. (2018). Fashion Film.

References

[1]. Stanciu, C. (2022). Making Americans: Spectacular Nationalism, Americanization, and Silent Film. Journal of American Studies, 56(1), 1-37.

[2]. McQueen, A. L. (2016). After'The Golden Age': An Industrial History of the Hollywood Musical, 1955-1975. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.

[3]. Doan, L. (1998). Passing fashions: reading female masculinities in the 1920s. FEMINIST STUDIES-NEW YORK THEN COLLEGE PARK-, 24, 663-700.

[5]. Carnicero Herrero, L. (2021). Women in American movies: an analysis of three 20th Century films.

[7]. Rees-Roberts, N. (2018). Fashion Film.

Cite this article

Qian,K. (2025). The Ideographic Function and Aesthetic Changes of Women's Clothing in American Film Waves. Communications in Humanities Research,76,1-5.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICADSS 2025 Symposium: Art, Identity, and Society: Interdisciplinary Dialogues

ISBN: 978-1-80590-146-4(Print) / 978-1-80590-284-3(Online)

Editor: Ioannis Panagiotou, Yanhua Qin

Conference website: https://2025.icadss.org/Lincoln.html

Conference date: 22 August 2025

Series: Communications in Humanities Research

Volume number: Vol.76

ISSN: 2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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