feb 1, 1851 - Many women began adopting the Bloomer dress

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After Elizabeth Smith Miller wore the "Turkish dress", a clothing which consisted of a loose fitting tunic and trousers, to Seneca Falls, Amelia Bloom began adopting the dress. In Bloom's temperance journal, The Lily, she described the dress to her readers and provided instruction on how they can make their own. Subsequently, women around the country began adopting this new dress. It provided more movement than the traditional attire that was considered appropriate for females, and in turn provided women with more freedom. However, women who adopted the new dress were often ridiculed by the press and men in the street. The dress represented an opportunity for women to defy gender norms and some even called the clothing the reform dress.

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