Historical Dress Recreation: How Social Media Plays a Part

Nhung Hoffman

Social Media is widely used by people all around the world. We are able to have a glimpse into the lives of millions of people who post images or videos on their accounts. Through this medium, individuals are able to showcase their niche subjects and interests for the public to view. One of these niche interests is the reconstruction of historical dress which my dissertation aims to explore.

I explore how social media plays its part in showcasing reconstructed historical dress by looking at three content creators and their Instagram and YouTube accounts. The first creator is Bernadette Banner who recreates historical dress for academic purposes but also as clothing for herself. The second creator is Angela Clayton who recreates historical dress as costumes. The final creator is Cheyney McKnight, from Not Your Momma’s History, who recreates historical clothing as a way to aid her teachings on enslaved African Americans in the United States.

In my text, I investigate the ways in which these recreators display their garments on social media. This includes what types of clothing they recreate and the reasons why they showcase their recreated historical garments online. I also look at how these content creators create a community of fellow-minded individuals through their posts on social media.