L.O: TO EXPLORE THE CONTEXT OF THE PLAY

THE 1980’S

Top Girls

RaRa skirts

Heavy Eyebrows

blue eyeliner

Shoulder pads

Permed hair

Legwarmersexercise clothing

Leather and lace

New Romantics

How does the 1980s fashion and music reflect the changing attitude towards women?

In pairs discuss the differing trends for both men and women.

Are there any similarities between the trends for the genders?

How are they different from today’s fashion?

Churchill wrote ‘Top Girls’ in opposition to Thatcherism. Having become politicized during the 1970’s, Churchill saw the 1980s shift from a socialist mind-set to a capitalist emphasis as an ominous change. This difference became clear to her when comparing British and US concepts of female equality.

First Wave Feminism

Occurred during the 19th & 20th Century in the U.S and the U.K.

Fought for: - equal contract & property rights for women (US)

- removing the ‘ownership’ of women (and children) by husbands (US)

- But most importantly – WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

- in UK the ‘Suffragettes’- women over 30 with a

house received the vote in 1918- all women over 18

received the vote in 1928

Second Wave

Feminism

Early 60’s to late 80’s- a continuation of the first wave, but incorporating issues of discrimination

e.g in the workplace and in society.- wanted to break down engrained patriarchal values of our societies (continuing idea)

‘The Personal is Political’ – Carol Hanisch

‘The Feminine Mystique’ – Betty Friedman

Third Wave Feminism

Started early 90’s

- ‘essentialist’ definitions of feminism begin to fracture between women due to considerations of:

Social classIdeas of social gender conditioning (nature/nurture)

Race

Post-Feminism

The Backlash - a range of viewpoints and theories challenging Second Wave Feminism – i.e. ‘one size does not fit all’, ‘too generalised’

Act 1

The first act depicts a trans historical tableau in which Marlene, an eighties’ career woman, hosts a dinner party for a table full of disparate women drawn from history, literature and art.

Plenary pyramid!

Write down 3 things you have learnt today

Write down 2 things that you think might relate to the play

Write 1 thing you would like to know more about