节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-05-28
难易度:Low
关键字:practical, fashionable, casual, occasion, World War I, overalls, designer
jeans
We've been learning about The History of Women's Trousers in this lesson.
We already talked about the fight for women's rights or pushing for women's
rights to wear pants or trousers.
And today we've also talked about some practical matters.
During both of the major world wars, when the men went off to fight in the wars,
women had to do what the men were supposed to do at their work.
And so it became practical to wear pants.
Well, we're going to continue learning about this in the next part of our
reading for today.
The History of Women's Trousers.
Fashionable influences.
Hollywood began to change that concept, though.
When stars Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly appeared wearing pants, many
fashionable ladies copied the look.
However, most women during the 1940s and 50s still preferred to wear dresses and
skirts.
Teen choice.
In the 1950s teenage girls chose rolled-up blue jeans for casual wear.
In the 60s, they chose bell-bottom jeans, and in the 70s, designer jeans.
In the 21st century, women feel free to wear different types of pants on most
occasions.
From bloomers to business suits, women and their trousers have come a long way.
Well, women and their trousers have come a very long way from just bloomers to
what we wear now.
But we can see some of the reasons that they have changed.
In this next section we see it is called Fashionable influences.
And "fashionable" is a word from our Word Bank.
If something is fashionable, then it looks good, and it is also very popular.
People like to wear it or they like to use it.
How might you use this "fashionable" word, Gabe?
Well, fashionable, maybe I think about clothes.
The clothes that people are wearing could be fashionable.
They're in; they're stylish.
Or maybe someone's haircut is very fashionable.
You can compliment your friend who has a fashionable haircut.
Well, you could also think of the word "stylish" when you think of the word
"fashionable." So what is fashionable?
We're talking about fashionable influences right here.
That's right.
So there are some fashionable influences or some influences from fashion.
To start this we see: Hollywood began to change that concept, though.
And it's talking about the concept that trousers were not acceptable outside of
work.
Hollywood changed that idea.
Well, Carolyn, I think Hollywood has a big role in today's world as well.
It changes the ideas or the concepts of a lot of things in life.
And so I can see or understand how Hollywood would change the concept of what
women could or couldn't wear.
That's right.
So we'll talk about this influence.
When stars Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly appeared wearing pants, many
fashionable ladies copied the look.
So here we have two very famous women in Hollywood who began to wear pants.
And it sounds like many other women in the U.S. wanted to be like them.
And if you're not sure who these women are, Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly,
there's a picture of them on page 48 in your magazine.
Carolyn, they were incredible actresses.
And I really wish sometimes that I was alive back then when they were making
movies and influencing society.
They did have a very big influence on society.
And they even had an influence on women's rights and our right to wear pants.
Well, right now we have a little more information to learn with Steve and Ken in
the Info Cloud on that word "look".
Hi, friends. Let's take a look at a very simple word today - look.
Now I don't mean the verb look but the noun look.
So Steve, do you know what the preferred look for this summer is?
Ha, Ken, that's a great example of how to use "look" as a noun when it refers to
a distinctive manner of dress or fashion.
A singer might change her outfit several times in a concert, and each outfit
would be a different look.
And no, Ken, I have no idea what the preferred look for this summer is.
Not important.
Now if we use... "looks," plural, it has a different meaning.
It just means the appearance of something.
You might like the looks of a place when you first see it.
But looks can be deceiving.
Good point.
So don't be fooled by the looks of something.
Now a person may also have good looks.
And "looks" here refers to his or her physical appearance, especially when it's
pleasing.
Right.
We can't say somebody has bad looks - only good looks.
And good looks generally refers to one's facial appearance, like a movie star
has good looks.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
Looking good, as always.
Let's continue with our lesson.
However, most women during the 1940s and 50s still preferred to wear dresses and
skirts.
And so many people started wearing pants because of influences like Katharine
Hepburn and Grace Kelly, but many women still preferred to wear skirts.
Well, it was something they were used to wearing.
But we see in the next section titled Teen choice.
So what teens decided to do.
In the 1950s teenage girls chose rolled-up blue jeans for casual wear.
All right.
Well, that's actually still something you might see today in some places,
rolled-up blue jeans.
Well, if you're wearing jeans, you can roll the bottom of them up a little bit.
That was kind of fashionable.
But let's talk about this Word Bank word here - it is "casual." If something is
casual, it's not formal.
You don't wear it when you're going to something fancy.
You can just wear it out anywhere.
That's right.
So it's something that you wear every day.
And you usually feel very relaxed when you wear it.
It's casual.
And the girls here in the 1950s decided that they wanted to wear rolled-up blue
jeans for their everyday life, for their casual wear.
That's right.
Well, I can use this word in another way as well.
You might talk about a casual conversation you had.
You weren't giving a formal speech in front of an audience.
You were just talking with a friend.
It was a casual conversation.
And I think in most friendships, you just have casual conversations.
That's right.
So you can use this word in several different ways.
Continuing.
In 1960s, or in the 60s, they chose bell-bottom jeans, and in the 70s, designer
jeans.
So they had different kinds of jeans that they preferred in each of these times.
All right.
So it seems like jeans are catching on, they're becoming more and more popular.
We see different types of jeans here: bell-bottom jeans, designer jeans.
Um, Carolyn, have you ever woren bell-bottom jeans?
Well, I've worn bell-bottom jeans, but I think they were a little bit different.
They were just a small bell at the bottom.
But I think in the 1960s, they were very large bell-bottom jeans.
All right.
Well, they were certainly fashionable once upon a time in the past.
But of course styles are changing gradually; we had designer jeans.
And we continue.
In the 21st century, women feel free to wear different types of pants on most
occasions.
Let's talk about that Word Bank word "occasion." What is an occasion, Carolyn?
Well, an occasion is a special day or a special event, so.
Here they have been wearing jeans on most occasions, so it's not special.
It's all the time, most occasions.
But maybe there's a special occasion that you want to wear a dress or a skirt,
or you want to look very nice.
Or maybe you see your friend wearing something extra special, you can ask this
question:
What's the occasion?
Are you going on a date today?
Well, we continue.
From bloomers to business suits, women and their trousers have come a long way.
Let's talk about that phrase: to come a long way.
This means that gradually or over time, things have developed to where they are
now.
That's right.
And women's trousers have come a long way from a time when women could not wear
pants at all to being able to wear them all the time, every day for any
occasion.
Well, I also think of movies when I think of this phrase.
Movies have come a long way.
They used to be silent, and then black-and-white but speaking.
And now there's so much technology involved in movies that are really cool.
They have come a long way.
Right now it's time for us to go enjoy a review skit, and then join Michelle in
the Language Lab.
I'm wearing a skirt.
And I'm wearing trousers.
Both are acceptable.
Yes. But it wasn't always that way.
No. In the past, women wearing trousers was a shocking idea.
Simply shocking.
But now pants are a staple in most women's closet.
So what made trousers acceptable?
There are many factors.
For one thing, pants were practical.
When men went off to fight in World War I, women began working in factories and
fields.
Skirts weren't practical at all.
So women wore trousers on the job.
The same thing happened in World War II.
Women borrowed pants and overalls from the men in the family.
But pants still weren't acceptable outside of work.
Then the fashionable influence of Hollywood came along.
Ladies in film appeared wearing pants, and other fashionable women copied the
look.
Yes.
However, women in the 40s and 50s still preferred dresses and skirts.
But teenage girls in the 50s chose blue jeans for casual wear.
And in the 60s, bell-bottom jeans.
And in the 70s, desinger jeans.
And on and on... and now women feel free to wear pants on almost any occasion.
Yes. Trousers have come a long way.
And I'm glad; slacks are practical and comfortable.
But so are skirts.
Both are acceptable.
OK.
(Chinese).
And let's see what our teachers are doing.
You've certainly come a long way studying Egnlish here with us at Studio
Classroom.
And we do want to thank you for joining us here today learning about the history
of women's trousers.
Of course there's always a lot to learn here at Studio Classroom, so we will see
you next time.
See you then.