She characterizes the clothing of men as unbeautiful,
but she principally devotes her attention to the dress of women.
I quote the following from her book:* "The relation of a woman's dress
to her health is seldom considered, still less is it contemplated
as to its effect upon the health of her children; yet everyone must see
that all that concerns the mothers of our race is important.
The clothing of woman should be regarded in every aspect if we wish to see
its effect upon her health, and consequently upon the health of her offspring.
The usual way is to consider the beauty or fashion of dress first,
its comfort and healthfulness afterward, if at all.
We must reverse this method. First, use, then beauty, flowing from,
or in harmony with, use. That is the true law of life" (p. 14).
On page 23 she continues: "A great deal more clothing is worn by women
in some of fashion's phases than is needed for warmth,
and mostly in the form of heavy skirts dragging down upon the hips.
The heavy trailing skirts also are burdens upon the spine.
Such evils of women's clothes, especially in view of maternity,
can hardly be over-estimated. The pains and perils that attend birth
are heightened, if not caused, by improper clothing.
The nerves of the spine and the maternal system of nerves
become diseased together." And on page 32 she writes:
"When I first went to an evening party in a fashionable town,
I was shocked at seeing ladies with low dresses, and I cannot even now
like to see a man, justly called a rake, looking at the half-exposed bosom
of a lady.
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