Fashion For Women: Russian Nihilism

Russian nihilism of the 19th century was both a philosophy and a lifestyle. Nihilism itself has to do with destruction of the old ways to craft a new identity and new way of living. Nihilism is more of a philosophy than a political stance in the world of politics. Russian in the late 19th century underwent drastic changes due to the shift from agricultural and rural to an industrial society. Czar Alexander II was the czar who wanted Russia to finally join the west when it came to the industrial revolution, but it would prove to be a hard process since Imperial Russia had was based on orthodoxy and widespread censorship. Czar Alexander II tried to institute reform with the Serf Emancipation Act of 1861, but the changes were little and peasants were still tied to the land and were in dept to land owners. This type of frustration and lack of meaningful reform frustrated many Russians including disillusioned young people who wanted a change in their government to model western democracies. Many disenfranchised young people in the Russian nihilism scene rebelled in the form of fashion and dress. Women Russian nihilists were referred to as nigilistka. Within nigilistka circles, the frilly lace and muslin was discarded in favor of dark, wooly dresses that fell straight and loose with only white collars cuffs forming the only embellishments. Hair was only worn straight or cut short and a primary accessory was dark glasses. These women not only rejected the bourgeois style of dress, but the sexual attraction that came with sporting the frilly garments of old.