A wool gym suit worn by Helen Jerome during her time at the University of Minnesota between 1901 and 1902.
By: Linnea Dahlquist
Growing acceptance of women’s exercise in the late 19th century sparked the need for practical yet modest athletic wear, giving rise to a new garment: the gym suit.
Before the late 1800s, women’s opportunities to participate in sports were limited. Horseback riding and swimming were available but were considered closer to recreation than purposeful exercise. This was due to a prevailing medical theory that humans had only a certain store of energy, and that women were especially prone to overexertion due to their perceived fragility as well as misconceptions regarding menstruation. As these theories began to lose credibility during the late 19th century, the medical consensus became that all people benefited from exercise, including women.
In response women began to create informal sports clubs, and activities such as bicycling provided new forms of liberation. Colleges also began offering physical education classes for women. In 1892, Senda Berenson developed new rules for Basketball, which encouraged participation and helped legitimize women’s sports broadly.
With more women participating in athletics, the need for more suitable activewear grew. Thus, the gym suit emerged. The gym suit was a woolen garment consisting of a loose shirt attached to a pair of baggy pants known as “bloomers” designed to replicate the look of a skirt. The wool, while heavy, served to wick away moisture. The looseness of the shirt and bloomers allowed for a greater range of movement. The appearance of the gym suit also preserved the expectations of modesty and femininity for the wearer; however, as it was considered improper for women to wear pants, a skirt would still need to be put on as soon as the woman left the gym. In the 1910s, wool began to be phased out in favor of lighter, washable cotton.
By the 1980s, the gym suit had disappeared. Athletic wear had become replaced by t-shirts paired with sweatpants or shorts for casual use, with specialized synthetic garments for more dedicated or professional athletes.
Sources:
Bramlett, Lizzie. “Evolution of the Gymsuit.” The Vintage Traveler, February 28, 2013. https://thevintagetraveler.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/evolution-of-the-gymsuit/.
Schettino, Allyson. “Exercise and Functional Fashion.” Women & the American Story, February 6, 2025. https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/modern-womanhood/exercise-and-functional-fashion/.
Schwartzman, Tamsen. Sporting Life – Early Gym Suit, n.d. https://sites.fitnyc.edu/depts/museum/sporting_life/early_gym_suit.html.
Author Bio: Linnea Dahlquist holds two B. A’s, one in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in art history from Minnesota State University Moorhead and the other focusing on History, Archaeology, and Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature from the University of Minnesota. In addition, they received a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Washington. They often go down rabbit holes on a variety of topics but are especially drawn to anything relating to visual arts, crafts, folklore and mythology, music, identity expression, performing arts, and food. In their spare time they enjoy crafting and hanging out with their cat.
This project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Any views, findings, opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical Society, or the Minnesota Historic Resources Advisory Committee.