On the Job: A History of American Work Uniforms
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Overview
Through a variety of archival documents, artefacts, illustrations, and references to primary and secondary literature, On the Job explores the changing styles, business practices, and lived experiences of the people who make, sell, and wear service-industry uniforms in the United States.
It highlights how the uniform business is distinct from the fashion business, including how manufacturing developed outside of the typical fashion hubs such as New York City; and gives attention to the ways that various types of employers (small business, corporate, government and others) differ in their ambitions and regulations surrounding uniforms.
On the Job sheds new light on an understudied yet important field of dress and clothing within everyday life, and is an essential addition to any fashion historian’s library, appealing to all those interested in material culture, the service industry, heritage and history.
Explores a key entanglement in US history: the rise of service-industry jobs and concurrent rise in mass-produced clothing, which has resulted in standardized ‘looks’ for many occupations.
Addresses two major gaps in fashion history: work uniforms and styles of dress worn by working-class men and women
Explores the little-studied area of the major labels and histories of work uniforms
Highlights how uniforms play a critical role in mediating interactions between employers, employees, and customers
List of Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction: Why Uniforms?
Uniforms in the body of literature
Uniformity and the limits of fashion theory
Standardization in the late nineteenth century
Purpose and outline of this book
2. Taking Cues from Royalty: Maids, porters, and doormen
Uniforms for maids
Uniforms for porters
Uniforms for doormen
Conclusion
3. Working for Mom and Pop: Barbers, attendants, and waitresses
Uniforms for barbers
Uniforms for theater attendants
Uniforms for gas station attendants
Uniforms for waitresses
Conclusion
4. Contagion, Caring, and Qualifications: Uniforms in the healthcare industry
Professionalization and cleanliness, 1870-1920
Prestige, branding, and fashion, 1920-1970
Equality, wellness, and protection, 1970-2020
Conclusion
5. Government Work: Postal carriers, meter maids, and park rangers
Uniforms for postal carriers
Uniforms for meter maids
Uniforms for park rangers
Conclusion
6. Corporate Branding: Receptionists, bankers, and baristas
Uniforms for receptionists
Uniforms for bankers
Uniforms for baristas (and other fast-food workers)
Conclusion
7. Adult Entertainment: Sexualized and embodied uniforms
Aesthetic labor in adult entertainment
Barmaids and cigarette girls, 1880-1960
Carhops and topless dancers, 1920-1985
Chippendales, bouncers, and cocktail waitresses, 1975-2020
Breastaurant workers, 1980-2020
Conclusion
8. Conclusion: The future of work uniforms
Policing compliance
Activism for change
Expanding health and safety
Opportunities for further research
Bibliography
Index
In this well-researched book, Heather Akou shows how work uniforms have always been part of the fashion system … A fascinating look not only at the evolution of work attire, but also at the evolution of work itself in the U.S in the last century.
A ground-breaking work on the subject of uniforms, image apparel, and workwear … The research is impeccable, the analysis astute, and the insights invaluable. If you want to understand not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ behind uniforms across various sectors, this is the definitive read.
- Title: On the Job: A History of American Work Uniforms
- Author: Heather Akou
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 304
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781350349407, 9781350349384, 1350349380, 1350349402
- Resource ID: LLS:9781350349407
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T12:11:41Z
Heather Akou is Associate Professor of Fashion Design at Indiana University, USA, and a historian of fashion, dress, and the body. Her work has overlapped with African Studies, Islamic Studies, and American Studies, with recent publications on working-class histories of dress including prison uniforms, political t-shirts, secret society regalia, and work uniforms.