Hatmakers

/ˈhætˌmeɪkərz/ noun

Definition

Plural of hatmaker; multiple people who make and sell hats professionally.

Etymology

Standard English plural formed by adding '-s' to 'hatmaker,' which itself is a compound of 'hat' and 'maker' created from Old English roots.

Kelly Says

In Victorian London and Paris, hatmakers' shops were centers of fashion news and social gossip—women would spend hours there, and the hatmaker was often as much a confidant and status-keeper as a craftsperson, making these shops the social media of their era.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Plural of hatmaker; carries same historical gender bias. Hatmaking guilds and professional associations often excluded women despite their labor dominance.

Inclusive Usage

Use 'hatmakers' inclusively for all practitioners. In historical context, specify gender breakdown to correct erasure of women's majority and exclude from recorded professional histories.

Empowerment Note

Women constituted the majority of hatmaking labor and pioneered techniques, design innovations, and competitive milliners' shops; professional recognition was withheld.

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