The Deadly Impacts of Victorian Era Fashion

My research question was "What were the deadly impacts of Victorian era fashion?" I chose this question because I have always found fashion and history interesting, but I was especially interested in understanding the logic behind why women were affected by dangerous fashion trends more than men. Women during the Victorian era were expected to meet much higher standards of dress, beauty, and appearance, which often meant wearing more restrictive, complicated, and sometimes dangerous clothing. I wanted to understand why these expectations were so different between men and women and how social standards influenced the risks women were expected to take in order to be seen as fashionable or respectable. 

The research I conducted for this project involved looking at different types of Victorian clothing, popular fashion trends, the materials that were used, and the dangers that came with some of these styles. I researched things such as tight corsets, flammable dresses, toxic dyes, dangerous chemicals, and unsafe working conditions for people who made clothing. I also looked at the differences between social classes and how fashion could show a person's wealth and position in society. A lot of the information was incredibly interesting, especially since many of the dangers were hidden behind clothing that looked elegant and beautiful.

As part of my project, I created an exhibition called Deadly Impacts of the Victorian Era Fashion. I also created a portfolio and a touch-and-feel book so that people could interact with different materials and learn about Victorian fashion more engagingly. 

I learned that Victorian Era Fashion was about much more than just appearance. Clothing could represent a person's wealth, social class, and status, but many popular fashion choices also came with serious health and safety risks. I also learnt that some people working in the fashion industry were exposed to dangerous chemicals like arsenic and to unsafe working conditions while making clothing and accessories. This project showed me how important it is to look beyond what something looks like and understand the history and consequences behind it. 

Some of the feedback that I received was that the exhibition was interesting and engaging, especially because people were able to interact with the touch-and-feel book and learn about a topic in a different way. I also got feedback about the slideshow that I created: I had so many words on the slideshow that I didn't need; the audience explained that it became difficult to follow along since I was saying something different from the information on the slides. They recommended that I use fewer words and just use them as an indicator for what I'm going to say, which made perfect sense. I also got encouraged to keep developing my presentation skills and make sure that the information I include is clear and easy to understand. 

The Big Picture Learning Goals that I demonstrated were Communication, Social Reasoning, Empirical Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. I used communication throughout my presentation, exhibition, and research. I used social reasoning to understand how Victorian-era fashion was influenced by social class, wealth, expectations, and working conditions. I used empirical reasoning by researching the causes and effects of dangerous practices and making sure that the information I included was accurate. I also used quantitative reasoning when looking at statistics, measurements, and other numerical information connected to Victorian clothing and the risks involved. 

If I were to complete this project again, I would spend more time developing the interactive parts of the exhibition and include more real samples, images, and materials from Victorian-era fashion. I would also organise my research earlier so that I had more time to focus on the final presentation and make the exhibition even more engaging.