I found these 1940s overalls last week at an antique mall in Virginia and just couldn't believe my luck! During WWII, many women did jobs that previously had been held by men. And while Rosie the Riveter is a well-known 40s icon, the farm girl was just as important. The raising of food was a vital part of the war effort, and many college women spent their wartime summers on farms, filling in for the farmhands turned servicemen.
The blue overalls were standard wear for these farm girls. I think it is great how they took a garment that was all about function, and managed to make it look cute!
These lowly overalls also played an important role in making women pants-wearers. Many women had been wearing pants for very casual occasions since the late 1920s, but it was the daily wearing of them during the war that made pants more accepted among women.
I spent part of today looking for images in my 1940s fashion magazines:
Hello Stacey, Yes, it's amazing how the simplest of items can have an interesting history!
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