Throughout the ages, clothing was not only a way to cover the body, it was a way to discern the different aspects of society and the differences in gender. The women of ancient Egypt wore long linen gowns while the men wore short linen kilts. This applied to almost every culture around the world for thousands of years.

During the days of the Wild West, women were still expected to wear the appropriate attire for their class and positions in life. Wealthy women usually donned the finest silk dresses and hats that only the rich could afford. The lower classes were usually dressed in heavy wool skirts that covered every inch of their bodies. One thing was certain, ladies did not wear pants.
One woman would challenge this view, Calamity Jane. Though there are a couple of known photographs of her wearing the traditional garb of a woman, she was generally seen wearing the clothing of a man. She preferred the buckskin pants and jackets made specifically for men, along with cowboy boots and hat. Legend says that she even spent some time as a scout for the army until they discovered that she was female.

Jane was known to be a hard drinker and could be as rowdy as any cowhand off the range. She was as good with a gun as any man, and didn’t think twice about dressing in their clothing. She was one of the first women to go out of her way to dress the way she wanted, without the worry of what others would say. Though it would be almost another hundred years before things would completely change, Calamity Jane was a pioneer in the way women dressed for both comfort and success.

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