17 Moments In History that Inspired the Handmaid’s Tale

17 Moments In History that Inspired the Handmaid’s Tale

Shannon Quinn - August 8, 2018

17 Moments In History that Inspired the Handmaid’s Tale
Handmaids are all forced to wear red dresses and capes with white veiled caps. Credit: Hulu and Vanity Fair

Mandatory Dress Codes

In Gilead, everyone has a uniform to make it easy to identify their rank in society. This is reminiscent of The Holocaust, when prisoners wore stripes, stars, and triangles to signify their race and status, but this has existed more than once in history. Back in the 1600s, it was mandatory for Puritan women to wear long dresses made of dark fabrics, and wear head coverings every single day. The traditions are still carried on by Amish people today.

The FLDS Church, which was a very strict sect of Mormons is famous for the mandatory dress codes, as well. Women are only allowed to wear loose-fitting skirts or dresses that are considered modest. They are usually various shades of blue, because even bright colors can be considered to be too flashy. They all wear their hair in the same sort of ponytail, as well. In 2017, the church finally added pants to the dress code as an option for women who work for the church.

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