Exhibit: Fashion Police: Social Regulation of Women’s Appearance (Houghton)

September 2–December 18, 2025

Shakespeare wrote “The apparel oft proclaims the man,” recognizing the powerful signals that an individual’s appearance sends about how they perceive themselves and how they want to be perceived. Historically, there have been many attempts to constrain those messages, particularly for women. Women’s clothing, hair, and makeup have long been policed–usually by men–with certain styles condemned as decadent, indecent, unhealthy, or even ungodly. This exhibition brings together some of the fiery polemics, scathing satires, and scolding lectures to which women have been subjected regarding their appearance.