Womanhood: a pair of circles
One hoop.
Swish a basketball through it.
Two hoops.
Jump through hoops they say.
Stacked hoops.
Add lines connecting the hoops and it looks like a cage.
A caged yet docile bird sits quietly inside those stacked hoops. Feathers ruffled but she is poised. Simple shiny pony beads that seem hollow at first glance, meet your eyes.[1] The bird’s sudden twitch of the head makes you almost dismiss the bright glint for cheap plastic. Look a second longer and the pony beads melt. A sagacious philosopher stares back at you. In the mere moment you break contact, the bird makes a larger and larger opening in the back of the hoops. No sign of her strain without a squint at the dent in her beak from the wire. No sign of her protest against the hoops that chain the bird down until she manages to wriggle through. Finally, she glides through, soars out, and rests on a streetlamp overlooking an abstract collection of bizarrely poofy figures.
In the 1800s, women must have had the strongest hips they’ve ever had, and the men must have worshiped them (the hips, not the women). The larger the skirt, the tougher the woman, fighting layers of heavy crinoline. The beginning of the century was marked by the popularity of voluminous skirts on wealthy Victorian women who sought to decorate their appearance.[2] Little did the men know (they definitely knew and just didn’t care), there was nothing sweet about the stiff crinoline fabric that was lined in horsehair and threads made of linen or cotton. Not only were the heavy layers of frosting cumbersome, they were a disaster of tangled fabrics as the women tried to take their afternoon strolls.
Yet as long as the skirts looked to be lined with drop-flower frosting, [3] the presentation was enough to satisfy the appetite of the people (tell me why women thought it was a good idea to let these “people” define their fashion). So, in 1846, women continued to be confined in hoops with David Hough Jr’s invention of the hoop skirt.
When David Hough Jr first publicized the hoop skirt in the United States, it was nothing close to relief (thanks man!). The collection of hoops was an empty house habitated with two limp legs threatening to collapse. However, the women reclaimed the house, and tore it down brick by brick, replacing it with a tent-like version of the skirt: the minimum to retain a feminine structure. Women like Angela Bloomer launched the dress reform movement during the mid 1800s, converting the hoop skirt from a circular cage to a mere obstacle for feminists to jump through: the hoops of oppression on the basis of a single chromosome (genitals seemed too un-ladylike to say—gender is just plain boring).[4]
As a stylish woman walks past, the house breathes with life. Inhale. She glides, floating across the square, nose in the air, hips sloshing, slight smirk glazing her lips. Exhale. Gawkers sneak glances under their arrogant top hats, yet she is the true mastermind.
Their musty male gazes leave grease streaks as they travel up the fantasized legs under the 1860s hoops, and reach the trending hoop earrings of the 1960s.[5]
Now my own gaze traces up the girl in front of me. She copies me as I run my hands through frazzled hair. Sweats and a sweatshirt (I feel shitty and gross). Fatigue illuminated under the 7am morning light. Missing something. Feeling caged. Fingers inching towards a glint of gold. The extremities swoop up twin hoops and return the stars to their spotlight. The girl in the mirror raises a shy pink corner. A full circle moment (as me and my girls love to say) and the hoops complete the look.
Dropped off on the loop, nose angled a tad up, hips sloshing through the quad, backpack swung above a close-to-collapsing waist, power projects from all around. An ancient aura (Athena? Nike? Isis? I’m not too great at reading spirits) radiates from her, her, and her over there.[6] While the Egyptian royal men buried themselves under thick gold hoops to symbolize their wealth and power, and the Greek and Roman ones burdened themselves with the accessories to flaunt high social status, we simply wore them.
Leaving the 20-minute, perfectly-warmed seat, I feel my heart flit around in circles anticipating that history presentation. A finger naturally traces my hoop earring and each round whisks together energy within me. Stepping up to the front of the room, (lowkey, I think it was the whispers of Hatshepsut, Michelle Obama, or Madonna) an air of confidence gathers in a tight circle, but it lifts me up instead of trapping me down.[7] Flashes of gold catch my eye. The hoops gracing my fellow girls give a warm smile. The hoops I spontaneously grabbed this morning return one proudly from my ears.
My hoops would never cage me. Her hoops are merely a small obstacle and a new opening. Our hoops set us free.
[1] A large colorful plastic bead, rounded but flattened at the holes, associated with childrens’ arts and crafts
[2] “Caged crinoline, also known as a hoop skirt, was the most distinctive silhouette of the late 19th century. The hoop skirt trend replaced the popular petticoat of the late 1500s to mid 1800s.” This novel skirt design, one that seemed to beg for attention, was a symbol of the transition from childish games like hula hoops to social pressures of being a woman. David Hough Jr invented the hoop skirt in 1846.
[3] Drop-flower frosting is a style of piping frosting where the tip is cut to look like a flower. It is very commonly used to line fancy cakes for various events and such.
[4] Amelia Bloomer, who may better be known for her invention of the “bloomers” (an alternative skirt design with a short one over wide trouser-like pants), was responsible for the creation and cultivation of widespread acceptance of a new lightweight, maneuverable hoop skirt. An integral part of the “dress reform movement,” Amelia was a feminist leader during the mid 1800s.
[5] During the 1960s, hoop earrings were all the rage, especially as the perfect pairing with the “clean, straight-hair trend of the decade.” Celebrities like Cher and Diana Ross prolonged the popularity of the accessory through the 1970s by making many public appearances adorned in the trending earring style.
[6] All powerful female deities and figures in their respective mythologies. Athena is the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology, particularly prayed to for advice on war strategy. Nike is the Roman mythology goddess of victory, known for her significance within athletes. And Isis is the goddess of healing and magic in Egyptian mythology. Her name literally translates to “Queen of the Throne.”
[7] All three influential women figures, Hatchepsut, Michelle Obama, and Madonna were often seen wearing hoop earrings. Even though all were from drastically different eras and backgrounds, the recurring hoops serve as both a symbol of unity across women of different generations and one of strength represented by powerful, independent women.
Rena Kim is a Junior in the Bay Area. She’s passionate about exploring and sharing valuable insights into the experience of being a woman. As a student who attended a girls-only middle school and was privileged to grow up around powerful woman figures, I was raised to speak up for myself and encouraged to educate others on my ponderings.
