FMP. Coal Queens.

  • Mica Keating

Growing up in a West Yorkshire mining town, extremely patriarchal and often praising its male heroines made me realise that it’s imperative to research the often forgotten about women and honour them within my FMP. It is evident how many powerful female roles played a part within Northern history and not just the stay at home, support the husband type either. They were grafters. My womenswear, all white, quilted collection draws attention to the unsung heroes of the Northern pits. Each look highlights the uniform that labelled these women in the 1800’s as ‘unfit mothers’, with comparisons to the male gaze 'coal queens’ in the 80’s male dominated workplace. A newspaper article from the earlier era described working women in trousers as 'the most sickening sight’. My satire spin on this allowed me to focus on exaggerating the bottom half of each look. Trouser wearing dust collecting layers are mirrored with feminine details and typically masculine proportions. The pit brow lasses dressed as they did for work whilst battling horrific equality rights whilst the coal queens of the 80’s dressed in near to nothing for the pleasure of a competition. One group were ostracised for being female, one group were awarded. The pit brow lasses were the true coal queens.