How Bloomers Went From a 1800s Feminist Statement to a 2024 Summer Staple

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Bloomers are so back. But these aren’t your Victorian-era ruffle-bottom, under-petticoat pants. Playful designs combined with light, airy fabrics distinguish today’s feminine shorts from the ruched undergarments of a bygone era. Influencers are incorporating bloomers into their everyday wardrobes by pairing them with sporty shirts and Samba sneakers. Celebrity stylists are dressing their clients in bloomers for pap shots.

With a femininomenon on the horizon, this resurgence makes sense. The contemporary bloomer is, of course, a reintroduction of a classic silhouette that has, for centuries, been associated with the first wave of the women’s liberation movement. Everything old is new again, or in this case, everything your great-great-grandmother wore is on trend again.

The shorts emerged in the United States around 1850 as a practical remedy for women’s health and comfort. “Bloomers were first used as a utilitarian solution that made movement easier for women who worked in communities where they had to do more agricultural work,” says Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, a professor and historian specializing in modern American history and gender history at Case Western Reserve University. “Originally, they were a loose-fitting suit worn under a skirt, designed to alleviate the discomfort women experienced in their restrictive corsets and dresses.”

They caught the attention of early suffragette Amelia Bloomer, a trailblazer for gender equality and women’s rights in the 1850s. As the publisher of The Lily, one of the first women suffragists’ newspapers in American history, Bloomer championed the adoption of pantaloons, a garment she is credited for popularizing. Before long, suffragettes all over the country were wearing bloomers. “These women used the outfit as a form of protest, essentially saying, ‘Free both our lives and our dress!’ and ‘Before we can vote, we need to be able to breathe,’” Rabinovitch-Fox explains.

Because they exposed women’s ankles—which were seen as sexual organs at the time—bloomers were a controversial fashion statement. So, it’s no surprise the bloomer boom was met with resistance. “It challenged the gender norm,” Rabinovitch-Fox says. Both men and conservative women ridiculed activists sporting the pants, “dubbing the suffragettes wearing bloomers as radical,” she adds.

Despite being mocked, both Bloomer and Elizabeth Cady Stanton defended the pants in an attempt to present them as a garment designed “for women to feel sexy and comfortable, rather than as a political statement,” Robinovitch-Fox says. The bloomer craze died down around 1852 after suffragettes turned their focus to voting rights—only to resurface forty years later when bicycles rose in popularity.

Art and fashion historian Elizabeth L. Block notes that while bloomers may not have immediately transformed widespread beliefs on women’s rights, they did become a lasting symbol of progress in the fight for gender equality. “Wearing bloomers didn’t mean that women would begin leading politically or socially free lives since they would not win the right to vote until 1920,” she says. “But their progressive influence lasted well into the 20th century.”

The garment—once deemed shocking and controversial—is now not only accepted but also celebrated as a result of the progress achieved through women’s liberation efforts. “Women wearing bloomers today go straight to the concept that was so controversial in the mid-19th century—that ruffle bottoms exposed too much of the body and were suggestive of underwear,” Block says. “It’s like women are now saying, ‘We are in an unending climate change-driven heat wave, and I will wear short, ruffled cotton shorts that look like Victorian-era underwear if and when I want to.”

Jonathan Valencia, owner of Pechuga Vintage in Los Angeles, has recently seen a growing demand for bloomers at his store. “As we continue to experience greater liberation, it feels like we’re also witnessing a gender revolution,” he explains. “From my perspective, people today are less inclined to follow strict gender norms in fashion, similar to how women in the 1850s were challenging societal norms.”

Designers are reimagining bloomers by melding modern elements with vintage influences. Contemporary styles range from mini to capri lengths, linen to silk. The options are endless, from casual to refined.

Marie Laboucarie, owner of Nina Gabbana Vintage in New York City, is happy about the departure from fitted clothing. “It’s a natural progression from the recent romantic and hyper-feminine trends we’ve been seeing, like coquette and cottage-core styles,” she says. “Bloomer shorts bring this whimsical, carefree vibe that’s all about comfort and expressing ourselves in a way that feels fun and liberating.”

New York City-based designer and stylist Briar Turner Figueroa is also enthusiastic about the fresh silhouette, describing the trend as whimsical, ethereal, and slouchy—but in a good way. “It’s the next chapter in the lingerie trend,” she says. “First came slip dresses and nighties, then slip skirts. Now, bloomers are the latest example of underwear as outerwear.”

Turner Figueroa has seen billowy shorts styled with pieces ranging from snug baby tees to oversized shirts. “Whether they’re paired with a little heel or a boot, there’s no one way they’re being styled.” She loves how certain influencers, particularly the Blutstein sisters, Reese and Molly, incorporate bloomers into their everyday wardrobes by pairing them with a sporty T-shirt and Adidas sneakers or a simple black tank and ballerina flats.

Celebrity stylist Abby Arad adds that experimenting with proportions is key when shopping for your own pair of bloomer shorts. “Contrary to what you might think, a bloomer with a larger ‘bloom’ can actually be more flattering due to the contrast in proportions,” she says.

From their practical origins as an alternative to boa constrictor-like corsets to their role as a sartorial statement of liberation, bloomers have always been more than just a garment. This summer’s uptick is sparking a conversation about how history plays a part in shaping cyclical trends—right down to our knickers.