Women's dress fashions as a function of reproductive strategy

Despite many speculations, there is no well-supported explanation for cycle s of fashion in women's dress and scholars cannot agree whether fashions re flect societal changes. Generalizing from cycles of bodily attractiveness f or women, it was hypothesized that dress styles are reflective of reproduct ive economics. Using data front three studies of dress fashion extending fr om 1885-1976, the prediction was tested that short skirts (signaling sexual accessibility) would be correlated with low sex ratios (indicating limited marital opportunity for women), with increased economic opportunities for women and with marital instability. Predictions for narrow waists and low n ecklines (which signal reproductive value) were opposite. These predictions received strong support indicating that dress styles, like standards of bo dily attractiveness may be partly determined by marital economics.