Fashioning Lesbianism: Seitō (1911-1916) and the global New Woman

Seitō (1911–1916) was a ‘proto-feminist’ magazine, published in Tokyo by a group of five women and was contributed to by over one hundred. Included among them were Hiratsuka Raichō and Otake Kōkichi—both no stranger to making their own way in life, despite what was expected of them.

In addition to their work and writings, this is evident in the clothes that they wore. The women of Seitō’s refusal to conform, as well as their desire for female community, same-sex love and traditional male garments, places them in a global narrative of early-twentieth century ‘New Women’. There are particular similarities between the expressions of lesbianism or same-sex desire in the lives and clothing choices of many of these women, from Tokyo to Paris to New York. 

Amidst increasing global interconnectivity, emerging theories of sexology and women’s rights movements, lesbian fashion can be seen as an expression of freedom, difference, and defiance.

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Thumbnail: ‘Dalliance in the Yoshiwara’ (Yoshiwara tōrō), a political cartoon showing Bluestocking (Seitō) members including Hiratsuka Raichō visiting a geisha. Published in Tokyo Puck, 1 Aug. 1912.

About the speaker

Eleanor Medhurst is a fashion historian with an undergraduate degree in Fashion and Dress History and a Master’s in History of Design and Material Culture, both from the University of Brighton. Eleanor specialises in lesbian fashion history and runs a blog called Dressing Dykes, which she has written over 30 articles for, ranging from ‘Two White Dresses: The Fashion of Lesbian Weddings’ to ‘The Lesbian History of Short Hair’. She has built a substantial social platform over recent years, releasing content on her corresponding Dressing Dykes Tiktok and Instagram for her engaged online community.

Eleanor has been featured in Grazia, Cosmopolitan and The Vintage Woman Magazine, and of her articles was recently spotlighted in actress Gillian Anderson’s new audio show What Do I Know?! Her debut non-fiction book, Unsuited: A History of Lesbian Fashion was published by Hurst on the 1st of June 2024. She is represented by Gyamfia Osei.

• Organiser: SOAS Japan Research Centre
• Contact email: centres@soas.ac.uk

Header image credit: Jezael Melgoza via Unsplash