look says fashion, the image says pro- fessional." The eampaign highlights igh! problem that has emerged over the past ‘ew years—how nurses should dress fo ‘effectiveness : . ing isa form of nonverbal com ‘munication that stimulates judg ‘mental or behavioral responses in oth- ts (1-9), Our lothing makes it possible ranger to categorize us—at least nd set the stage for fu ‘Michigan, Ann Arbor. Philip A. Kalisch, PAD, 1s interim, director ofthe Conter for Nursing Research and professor of his- ¢ Aucust i995Mth nterecion- Therefor ts inpor ‘tant to understand the meanings th fre conveyed through clothing so that, ‘we know how to project an image of pro- {essonalism and authority. a= “How a person dresses has been found | to influence the behavior of others. n'a ‘omparison, of women wearing *fem- Inne” attire and’ women. dressed. in | “masculine” attire, the feminine group “as found tobe helped more, especially hy men(4), Similarly, in another experi. } ment, middle-class working men were more willing to talk about themselves to” _toone without a tie(5). = A578) Many oceupations ae dentified with: | Specific types of clothing. ‘The police “officer wears a blue uniform, the physi sian a white lab coat, the priest black - sit with a clerical collar, and business ‘people conservative sults with polished _ shoes, The uniform isa means of imme: | ite identification, The observer auto “atically expects the uniformed perso to act, according t0 a specific role(6). uniform not only helps to'predict the wearer's behavior, it also influences" the wearer's self-concept and the ease “with which he plays the asslzned roe. © Those who wear uniforms are issued { common identity, separating: them "trom others, But uniforms send out a> dual. message: They. are symbols of authority and power and, at the same_| time, a sign of reduced individuality — the wearer must act according to the ‘expectations and / ee toed | Gamp and Betsy Prig in Martin Ch {< boned corset was essential... [The eap and nursing badge, or “in| | HOW UNIFORMS HAVE CHANGED ‘adoption by the then-new nurs: {ng profession ofa definite uniform “in the mid-1870s was not surprising, i en that trained nurses came out of inst | tutional structures with strong military “and religious origins that valued forms. The eat Vivian imageof | Muntrained”nurse,"as ‘promiscuous, ‘Sloventy and dishonest (Dickens's Sairy was soon replaced by the im: ofthe clean, net unfomed = Seale nurse. 2 siigvet tae Ir sa in ter erence e public's acceptance of the hospital. Hasan’ appropriate caregiving Insti. | ton, Middleclass people. were more inlined to enter the hospital if they” | thought they would be nursed by a |< paragon of virtue, not by some lowly ltchen maid thrown out of domestic. service for dishonesty. A change in the. “packaging” of the nurse was inst mental in this image change. << |2-The ‘outward appearance of nurses. _ through the last century, frequently ~ “reflected inner attitudes about their ‘tole in health care. The following sec- _ tion briefly describes the seven predom- “{nant styles of nurses’ clothing from the 1g of professional nursing in the ited States othe present. [Tho dwardlon-romantie morse Be (1873-1909) generally wore a shirt-~ ‘waist and skirt of white material, adjustable whit ut, a tit white cal ite cp, and sometimes cape of | lué “or red. To achieve the desired “hourglass” silhouette, a Lightly laced | ‘5 it later came to be known, rounded | Pout. the proper attire for the well dressed nurse. The nurse's cap” was | "designed to caver the long hale fashion “able during the late nineteenth century ge os ee eae lace-trimmed organdy; they were large, ‘almost cireilar, and intended to’ be ‘worn directly on the top of the head. ‘The 18003" caps tended to be smaller, Shiote elongated, and worn further back on the nurse's head." 08 HeeThe first US Nightingale School of “Nursing, at New York's Bellevue Hospi fal, created the frst school badge for the clas of 1880, A erane in the center of the badge signified the murse’s vig ‘onstancy, and an outer circle of poppy capsules ‘symbolized. mercy and. the.” relief of Suffering. The pin was a source ‘of considerable pride for the wearer. {): Uniforms enforced social distinctions “both in the hospital and inthe home, A proper uniform ensured that a trained 5 FSnurse would not’be, mistaken. for a domestic, The early nurses" uniforms “however; were nelther practical nop hnygienig; the ‘emphasis—ereating an‘? Image of the “lady nurse”—prectuded ficiency. While the Edwardian sgl |; fostered an impressively romantic por- | | trait of a woman in white, a nurse tak) ing care of a patient with an infect ould not be on duty more than half ant» “hour without getting her sleeves con-¥ taminated, Yet, a nurse who rolled her "| sleeves" up was severely criticized for = being “unladylike” and looking like '@ serubwoman. In 1880, Trained Nurse. ‘wen so far as to suggest that it might be. ‘wise for nurses to oes shoes and tht net) Despite Its practical lim however, the prototypieal rae’ un form did convey considerable authority and was greatly admired by the public. In 1905, Oldfield wrote: “The adoption. of a pretty and, distinctive uniform, "worn in public, was the real starting ‘uniform: By 1910 Women had. begun” challenging male supremacy on several fronts; suffrage was a major movement ‘and more women were working for aliv- Pee ees oled ‘As the straltlaced Vietorian moral of the first decade of the century grad-. | vally. gave. way. to & more relaxed farses! unk forms, The boned corset was at about 1912; the. silhouette became: * straighter, softer, and more relaxed. 26 | "Taking its cue from women’s fashion, the nurse's uniform became shorter and. | narrower. Hemlines were above the an ‘efor the frst time and rose to six to eight Inches from the floor in”19i8: Waistlines were belted, often a little higher than the natural waistline, Bod: Jes were usually full rather than elosé= ly fitted. The navy blue murse’s cape, ‘often lined in red, was common,GeOEUAA Ne ALGO Frills and laces disappeared in a deliberate move away from overly fem- inne clothing. Most nurses now Bought their tniforms’ from uniform shops or directly from several. manufactarers ‘who advertised extensively. in_ the Trained Nurse and the American Journal of Nursing and sent out cata logs to private-duty nurses. The Jazz Age nurse (1920-1929) ‘wore a straight, simple uniform with a \ lowered neckline, a dropped waistline atthe hip and « hemline afew inches ¥ | below the knee. Although the style emained essentially the same during | this decade, heralines rose and fell from year to year, with the shortest skirts from late 1925 through 1927. i ‘Nurses’ caps shrank and began to serve solely as decoration and for school identification, Nurses who bobbed their hair, wore short skirts, and used traces of cosmetics occasioned vehement pro- test in several hospitals.» Tho conservative nurse (1930- 1943) in reaction to the nearly knee- high sjles ofthe twenties, wore hem- lines down almost to the ankles and then at about 10 of 12 inches above | [+ ground during the first years of the I gives he pe ef enc arte ALL STYLES eg Nurses’ Attire 1980s. Gradually, the hems rose until, in the early 1940s, they stood at 16 to 17 inches off the loo. Shoulders were tural and sloping in the Depress Years but, from about 1940 to 1045 sleeves became fuller at the shoulder, puffed or tailored to emphasize the shoulders. There was a trend toward short sleeves. An article in the Trained ‘Nurse and Hospital Review of March 1941 boasted: “The streamlined, tailored nurse's uniform of today is the smartest garb ‘devised for nurse wear since profession al nursing was established inthis coun- try. Itisa combination of style, comfort, convenience and consideration of hy: ienic principles....No longer are nurses apprehensive that the wearing of the uniform, especially outside of ‘hospital walls on professional duty, will result ina lessening of professional dig. On the contrary it enhanees that dignity"), ‘The ‘new look’ nurse (1946-1959) wore auniform that like fashion in gen- eral, represented a subconscious desire to return to the safety of the Victorian era, when women were sheltered, life ‘was simple, and sex roles were clear- Fate BOOKLET sent fre Sows he Clr ad ater hey ate made in ares whe ack for te, ceut. Skirts went down almost to the ankles. Bodices were well fitted and ‘usually belted. The proper foundation ‘garments to create an indented waist- Tine were crucial. ‘The cap was always worn, In 1955, ‘Nursing Outlook editorialized: “Although it mo longer serves any practical purpose, the cap does help to distinguish the nursing personnel from. ‘other hospital workers. Anditisn't very likely that nurses would look favorably ‘on any suggestion to discontinue the use ‘of the-eap.” ‘The editorial went on to comment on the changing perception of the intent and importance of the nurse's attire: “Our requisites for a uniform are those of any other clothing we wear—good looks, suitability, simplicity, comfort, and economy. We. that the nurse should wear @ uniform which pleases her, her patients, and the pub- lic. It should never be regarded as # cloak of authority, adeterminant of sta: tus; nor should it be a barrier to th: relationships between the nurse an the people she cares for or wor! with"). The mini-mod era nur (1960