17. Long skirts were often dangerous for women in the home
The long skirts which were the standard costume for women into the twentieth century were often dangerous for several reasons, one of the first and foremost being fire. Fireplaces and stoves could easily allow the flames within to ignite the skirts when a woman was too close, either to feed the fire, or check on food being prepared. Washing, which was frequently done in an open tub above a fire was another operation in which a woman’s skirt was perilously close to an open flame, and the kitchen offered several opportunities for a fiery accident. The skirts could also easily be snagged by an object the view of which the skirt itself obscured, throwing her off balance and leading to dangerous falls.
For many years there were no building codes regulating the construction of staircases, and many were slapdash in nature, particularly those used by servants in the conduct of their duties. Narrow stairs, irregular spacing between risers, and uneven treads, with no handrail, were difficult to negotiate with a skirt blocking the view, a difficulty magnified if the person attempting to ascend or descend the stairs was encumbered with baskets, trays, or other burdens. Each step became an opportunity for a bad fall, and falls in the home were a common cause of injury. Floor length skirts as everyday apparel are a thing of the past, thankfully, not just for esthetic reasons, but for safety as well.