Fashion's Slaves

"It is difficult to imagine a slavery more senseless, cruel, or far-reaching in its injurious consequences than that imposed by fashion on civilized womanhood during the past generation." -Benjamin Orange Flower, Fashion's Slaves Fashion's Slaves (1892) by B. O. Flower is a short appeal for women's dress reform. Citing a recent session of the International Council of Women, Flower maintained that this was the most important question it dealt with. The pamphlet argues that the belief that fashion and beauty are the same is a myth that must be debunked, so that women will stop harming themselves with tight corsets and other accessories that are dangerous to their health.

BENJAMIN ORANGE FLOWER (1858-1918) was an entrepreneur and editor associated with a number of muckracking magazines. The son of a minister, the magazine he is most closely remembered for his contributions to is The Arena, which reflected his support of women's suffrage, prison reform, the abolition of capital punishment, and the prohibition of alcohol.