So what are entertainment tapes? Charlie X episode

[Kor]

Contemporary viewers in 2015 tend to look down their nose at the miniskirt uniforms and dismiss them as demeaning and sexist, without taking the context into consideration. Remember that in the '60s, the miniskirt was seen by women as liberating and empowering, as it challenged old mores in a male-dominated social system that had always forced them to cover up from head to toe.

And if you look into comments of the Trek actresses who wore them at that time, it's clear that they didn't see anything wrong with them at all. Grace Lee Whitney wanted that kind of uniform, which was fashionable from a real-life standpoint, instead of having to wear something similar to what the men were wearing. Similarly, Nichelle Nichols has expressed something to the effect of "You wear them in real life, so why shouldn't you wear them on TV?"

Kor

 

[scotpens]

. . . Grace Lee Whitney wanted that kind of uniform, which was fashionable from a real-life standpoint, instead of having to wear something similar to what the men were wearing. Similarly, Nichelle Nichols has expressed something to the effect of "You wear them in real life, so why shouldn't you wear them on TV?"

The problem, of course, is that the minidresses were ridiculously impractical for general duty aboard a quasi-military space vessel. But, hey, it was the zeitgeist, you know.

 

[Drone]

What might the in-universe explanation for this rather drastic change be in the relatively short period between Where and Man Trap?

...Kirk decided he liked his Vulcan XO after all, and decided to raise the onboard temperature?

Timo Saloniemi

Hmm, a leader of whom it can be truly said that he could always figure out some way to get what he wanted.

 

[T'Bonz]

Remember that in the '60s, the miniskirt was seen by women as liberating and empowering, as it challenged old mores in a male-dominated social system that had always forced them to cover up from head to toe.

Well, I was a kid in the 60s and mini-skirts went on into the early 1970s. Frankly, they were a pain in the ass. You always had to worry about how you sat, walked, bent, walked up stairs, etc.

I had the legs to carry them off, but didn't like them. I was always worried about showing my underwear and while I was never averse to showing cleavage , showing undies were out.

I knew other women who didn't find them liberating too. I bet for every woman who loved them, you'd have found one that wasn't so keen on them. But at the time, that was all you could get other than knee-length, which only old women wore.

When we were allowed to wear slacks/jeans to school in the early 1970s, I ditched the dresses/skirts. I knew at least through 6th grade, which for me was, uh, around 1970, girls HAD to wear dresses, even if it was -20 out in the winter.

 

[Timo]

Are you seriously equating a joke about sailors on long voyages with how an entire gender is routinely sexualized and portrayed as prostitutes and whores? We have nothing to talk about.

Well, if you personally feel compelled to bring up "prostitutes" and "whores" every time porn is mentioned, you might indeed have something to talk about - with a professional. But yes, my original comparison was fair, and there's no way you can dodge the sexist stamp here. You're just digging a deeper hole for your stoning.

The problem, of course, is that the minidresses were ridiculously impractical for general duty aboard a quasi-military space vessel.

How so? The less you wear, the less there's to snatch on machinery or impede your movements in tight situations when the ship shakes or loses gravity (if it had any to start with). And there's always the problem of heat dissipation, made more acute in emergencies.

I'd really expect extremely skimpy clothing in this environment where the "environment" is fully artificial - a situation the militaries so far have only achieved in submarines, and those tend to have problems with heat retention (except in the tropics, but that mainly applied to old diesels that spent a lot of time on the surface anyway). Whether it would then follow that people would develop fetishes for this newest form of military uniform, too... Well, for a rare once, this might have low odds of happening, as the very concept of "revealing" leaves little room for imagination.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Drone]

As to the advantages you cite, could one possibly take the other view that having that type of exposure as one's clothing all the time in the likely very comfortable temperatures maintained aboard ship, might lead a number of the female crew to having an increased number of calls of nature? I can't attest to such an effect as I don't even wear shorts for certain aesthetic reasons, but perhaps T'Boooooo or another woman paying attention to this thread might be able to comment.

 

[T'Girl]

What might the in-universe explanation for this rather drastic change be in the relatively short period between Where and Man Trap?

Okay, how about this?

At the time of "Where" Kirk was still new to the Enterprise, and the ship was still operating under many of the previous captain's directives. One of these directives would be in the area of the "uniform of the day." The previous captain didn't want female (or male) officers and crew to wear dresses, dresses and skirts were at that time acceptable daily wear under Starfleet's dress code, but individual captains could decide for their particular command.

Subsequent to "Where" Kirk (perhaps at the request of female personnel) removed the prohibition on dresses, bring the Enterprise back into conformity with the rest of the fleet's dress code. Pants weren't replaced by dresses, it's just that dresses became one of the options.

We saw dresses in TNG on occasion and so (apparently) that uniform option still exists.

The problem, of course, is that the minidresses were ridiculously impractical for general duty aboard a quasi-military space vessel.

How so?

Woman in the US Navy wore dresses aboard ships, and still preformed their duties.

.

 

[PCz911]

Back in the day, before the advent of VHS/Betamax and CCTV, Hollywood movies were distributed to US Navy assets on film reels and logistic ships were often the "movie store" as it were, carrying an inventory of films for deployed vessels.

I served on such a ship for a while, and we carried 100-150 movies at a time. Often, when a ship was alongside, a "new" batch of films would be unrepped over along with the peas and toilet paper. The "old" ones would be returned.

I suspect THIS the correct answer. Everything else is just playful commentary

 

[Drone]

What might the in-universe explanation for this rather drastic change be in the relatively short period between Where and Man Trap?

Okay, how about this?

At the time of "Where" Kirk was still new to the Enterprise, and the ship was still operating under many of the previous captain's directives. One of these directives would be in the area of the "uniform of the day." The previous captain didn't want female (or male) officers and crew to wear dresses, dresses and skirts were at that time acceptable daily wear under Starfleet's dress code, but individual captains could decide for their particular command.

Subsequent to "Where" Kirk (perhaps at the request of female personnel) removed the prohibition on dresses, bring the Enterprise back into conformity with the rest of the fleet's dress code. Pants weren't replaced by dresses, it's just that dresses became one of the options.

We saw dresses in TNG on occasion and so (apparently) that uniform option still exists.

I wonder if any of the various source reference material that has appeared over the years has explicit commentary that reflected a well documented and vetted answer to this issue. Are ship personnel absolutely required to wear regulation gear or might there be a provision that the commanding officer can make exceptions, either based on his personal aesthetic standards or perhaps due to an exigent emergency of some sort?

It would be kind of funny if an individual member of the crew could make that determination for themselves, at least on occasion, and replicated an appropriately ranked uniform from fifty or one hundred years before, for their own personal throwback day!!!

 

[Captain Rob]

Just stick everybody in coveralls or jim-jams. And if anyone complains. Tell them that's what UNI-form means. Everyone wears the same thing.