“Lesbian Fashion History” with Eleanor Medhurst

Did you know that lesbians sporting sportswear is a queer tradition dating back centuries? Or that 1910s Japanese lesbians liked to don a yukata to send subtle signals about their gender identity and sexual orientation? My favourite foremost expert in lesbian fashion history, Eleanor Medhurst, is gracing the podcast with a return performance, sharing her vast knowledge about all of these topics and more.Listen now to learn all about how queer and gendernonconforming people dressed through the ages and follow @dressingdykes and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram to stay up-to-date and to book your tickets for Ellie’s book tour!  References:@dressingdykesUnsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashionhttps://dressingdykes.com/Lesbian Lives ConferenceAnne ListerSarah WingroveQueen Christina of SwedenRadclyffe HallThe Well of LonelinessCruftsFemale HusbandsJen ManionSapphoMeiji EraSeitōSexologyHiratsuka RaichōOtake KōkichiYukataKimonoQueering Desire: Lesbians, Gender and SubjectivityAmy Tooth MurphyAlison Bechdel’s Fun Home“Ring of Keys”Roots Lesbian FashionGillian AndersonCameron EspositoQueery (podcast)Lesbian Chiquek.d. langVanity FairThe L WordThe Queery (Brighton)The Feminist BookshopFreya Marske’s The Last Binding TrilogyKristen StewartHappiest Season  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:

1.      Can you name at least three historical fashion icons we speak about in the episode?
2.      Eleanor explains why literature is important in fashion history. In which ways does Ellie use literary texts to learn about lesbian dress?
3.      We use multiple words to describe the people whose fashion Eleanor writes about in Unsuitable. Why is that and what are some of the difficulties with labelling a historical figure?
4.      Many of the people Ellie speaks about combine clothes with different gender connotations. Can you give an example of this? Do you think this is still relevant today?
5.      Do you think lesbians are fashionable?