When I joined the WAC in 1974, my recruiter gave me a booklet for female recruits with a list of clothing to bring and what clothing was acceptable for traveling to Ft McClellan for basic training by plane, bus or train.

As new representatives of the Women's Army Corps, we were expected to wear appropriate attire for public travel: a tastefully fitted pantsuit was acceptable, but more preferable were knee length skirts or dresses with pantyhose matching our skin tone, appropriate foundation garments (defined as "underpants, bra, slip and optional girdle"), absolutely no blue jeans, mini skirts, slacks, low cut tops showing cleavage, bare legs, sneakers or sandals. Purses with shoulder straps were encouraged as more practical than handbags for traveling (thank goodness).

To be fair, in those days people dressed up to travel, lol, we dressed carefully to go shopping downtown. And ironing our jeans to go dancing at the club was a thing. When starching and ironing our uniforms, we'd do our jeans too. When I got out ten years later, I promised myself I wouldn't buy a stitch of clothing that required ironing.

Throughout the 80s and 90's I relied on a work wardrobe of knit tops, dark wool gabardine skirts, and on black tights and flats instead of constantly worrying about running pantyhos. My poor feet were too shot by ten years of daily 2 mile runs in combat boots and unsuccessful surgeries for wearing heels.

Occasionally comments were made about my not wearing heels or hose at the white shoe law firm where I worked, but they weren't dress code violations and since I wasn't an attorney I had a bit more freedom anyway.

This Ted talk has concluded.🙄