Basketball, fashion and self-expression
When we were writing Shattering the Glass, we didn’t imagine we’d be asked to make a presentation at Christian Dior. But basketball and fashion have plenty of connections.
These days, such links show clearly in the wide variety of imaginative “fits” that have become a standard part of the WNBA’s pregame tunnel walks, as well as the fashion industry’s growing interest in female athletes.
But dress and appearance have always been key themes in American women’s history. Women have historically been expected to signal their adherence to prevailing ideas of womanhood through what they wear and how they move. Departure from these standards can be revolutionary.
Basketball players have had a fraught relationship with such expectations. Women engaged in what has historically been seen as a “masculine” endeavor have often been regarded with suspicion – a hazard that uniforms have frequently been designed to counteract. Some players have used conventional dress to blunt the impact of vigorous play. Others have found ways to step beyond existing norms.
Our Dior presentation, part of which can be viewed here, started with the long skirts and bloomers of the late nineteenth century. We then moved to the often-controversial shorts of the 1920s and 30s, to the satin, curlers and lipstick of the 1940s and 50s, and eventually to the present day, when female players are finally able to express themselves in more diverse ways.
The event came about through cyber-driven serendipity. Olivia Nielson, an avid basketball player and Dior mentee has been working with a group of other mentees to shape a Dior and UNESCO-sponsored project, DAMECORE IMPACT, that focuses on increasing young women’s access to basketball and the strength and confidence it builds.
She had used the original edition of Shattering in her graduate school thesis. One day in January, as she was browsing through Amazon, our new edition (with its striking new cover) showed up as a recommendation. She was delighted to learn we’d done an update and found us on LinkedIn.
We created an event that gathered some of the young players Olivia was mentoring, along with a few others. Participants met at the Dior offices in New York; we Zoomed in. They asked great questions, and we had a lot of fun. Thanks again to Olivia, DAMECORE and Dior for making it possible.
Photos: Hazel Walker and her Arkansas Travelers (Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame); Alyssa Thomas, Dewana Bonner, Arike Ogunbuwale, (Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, published by Harpers’ Bazaar in May 2024); Bennett College (Greensboro Historical Museum); DAMECORE gathering (Meagan Leverone).
