Vogue Magazine from 1955-1975 and How My Senior Thesis Has Evolved

     At the beginning of the semester, my proposed thesis had a much broader scope. I was seeking to examine how fashions were depicted in various mediums as well as how they were tied to historical happenings. In retrospect, I have realized that my earlier proposal would be nearly impossible to complete in a thorough manner. My current thesis proposal is to examine how Vogue magazine depicts women’s fashions in regards to the historical, social, political, and cultural trends from 1955 to 1975. This time period is content rich in regards to evolving fashion and historical happenings, such as the Civil Rights Movement and second-wave feminism. I have chosen this time frame to have a more narrow focus. Since I will be looking at magazines from all of these years, the time period of 20 years rather than my previously proposed 80 years provides a more realistic number of magazines for me to look at though my case study at the RIT Archive Collections.

     I know my project will continue to evolve in the upcoming months. I still need to determine whether I will look at each issue from 1955-1975 or if I will choose specific months to examine throughout this time period.  I believe that my project will become more refined and focused when I make more headway in my research. I currently have 20 books sitting on my desk that pertain to gender roles, fashion styles, feminism, and self-presentation. Unfortunately, I have only gotten the chance to read 2 so far. As mentioned in this post, I am still entertaining the idea of potentially including a virtual exhibition on Wordpress that draws upon themes of my thesis.

Here are some of the books I have on loan from the library and Professor Carroll.

     Also, I would like to announce that I have found my secondary advisor. Jody Sidlauskas, the Associate Archivist at RIT Archive Collections, will be my secondary advisor for my senior thesis. I am incredibly honored for this opportunity.