When I was in elementary school, my parents let me wear fishnets on Halloween. Then, I was just a little girl whose mom went trick-or-treating with her. However, they warned me never to wear fishnets once I was a teenager because they may send the wrong message. While there are sexual connotations, as fishnets were a part of early 1900s Moulin Rouge showgirl fashion and BDSM culture, I associate them with feminism and classiness. To solve the controversy of fishnets, I decided to do some research.
Early history of fishnets points to women’s empowerment. The origin of fishnet tights is presumed to have been in the late 1800s Victorian Era. However, not much is known about fishnets at this time because they were not called fishnets. Before wearing fishnets, women could not expose their legs in public. Fishnets were the perfect balance of some modesty in not revealing their entire legs, while making progress with some leg showing. One of the first mentions of fishnets is in Aesop’s fable “The Peasant’s Wise Daughter”, in which a king challenges a peasant’s daughter to solve a riddle stating “Come to me not clothed, not naked, not riding”. The peasant’s daughter’s solution was wrapping herself in a fishnet, indicating that fishnets could symbolize women’s cleverness.
During the early 1900s, Paris introduced this fashion item to the United States. The flapper era marked a time of radical change and rebellion with fishnets being a part of women protesting conservative ways of dressing. Instead of wearing traditional stockings, some women, particularly showgirls, opted for fishnets. It was not until the mid 1900s when fishnets became a mainstream clothing trend thanks to fashion icon Marilyn Monroe. At this time, fishnets became the epitome of classy feminism. Fishnets expanded into broadway, particularly in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which most of the main characters wear this item. The late 1900s took a new spin on fishnets. Becoming a symbol of counterculture, fishnets were commonly worn throughout punk and grunge subcultures.
Today, fishnets remain popular amongst alternative subcultures and celebrities including Lady Gaga and Olivia Rodrigo. Fishnets are also not just for women. Billy Porter has worn fishnet tights and Machine Gun Kelly has worn fishnet shirts. While some people may still have concerns with the meaning of fishnets, I would argue that wearing fishnets was a sign of women’s empowerment.