What Do Our Clothes Reveal About History, Economics, and Gender?

UnTextbooked | A history podcast for the future

The clothes we wear say a lot about how we express ourselves. But an investigation into how these clothes ended up in our closets reveals a complex history dating back 400 years ago at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Producer Ashley Kim sits down with Sofi Thanhauser, the author of “Worn: A People’s History of Clothing” to learn how clothing can teach us about economics, gender and imperialism.

Sofi Thanhauser teaches in the writing department at Pratt Institute. She has received fellowships from the Fulbright Program, MacDowell, and Ucross Foundation. Her writing has appeared in Vox, Essay Daily, and The Establishment, among other publications.

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Show Notes:

(00:00) - What History Can You Find in a Thrift Store?

(01:54) - The History of Clothing is Intertwined with Economics

(04:40) - How the Clothing Industry Became Global

(06:16) - Gender and Clothing Manufacturing

(14:05) - Safety on the Factory Floor

(17:31) - Being an Ethical Consumer

(21:02) - Will Clothes Ever be Local Again?

(22:29) - Outro