The Barefoot Revolution of 1895: The First Time American Women Exposed Their Bare Feet in Public (And How Trilby Made Them Do It)

Respectable American women did not reveal their bare feet or toes in public until 1895 when the novel Trilby became immensely popular and focused artistic attention on the female foot as an object of beauty and obsession.Even bathing suits had stockings with foot coverings sewn in, like footed pajamas. The Trilby fad revolutionized social norms and forever altered women's fashions and footwear.The fictional character Trilby was the heroine of the novel. She knocked people's socks off. And their shoes. And that's not all. America was intrigued, outraged and transformed-mesmerized by her bare feet, her nude modeling, and her immorality.But you'll have to hear them tell it or you won't believe it. In this anthology they do tell, with more than 500 articles and 150 images originally published in the 1890s.American culture was obsessed with Trilby to the point of exhaustion. There were Trilby parties, Trilby jewelry, Trilby shoes, Trilby plays, Trilby poems, Trilby contests to determine the most beautiful feet, and even Trilby ice cream molds in the shape of a woman's bare foot. "Trilbies" became a slang term for feet.Women began dancing on stage in bare feet, which was initially scandalous and provocative but became the standard mode for modern dance thanks to Trilby and Isadora Duncan.Pedicures, sandals, flip-flops, slides, strappy high heels, open-toed shoes and foot care regimens all trace their roots to the Trilby revolution. This book includes excerpts and images from the original novel, as well as the Kneipp cure (walking barefoot on the grass, which was against the law in some cities).This book provides a rare and amusing glimpse into the history of American fashion trends and an exploration of cultural control over women's bodies, from the ground up.