The rah-rah (or ra-ra) skirt is a short flounced layered skirt that originated in cheerleading and became a popular fashion trend among teenage girls in the early 1980s. As such it marked, as the Oxford Dictionary noted, the first successful attempt to revive the miniskirt that had been introduced in the mid-1960s. It was created by Angela Stone and Gifi Fields, who based the idea on creating a tutu out of heavier fabric. Later in the 1980s it was often worn with leather, denim or lace.
The mini regained popularity in the 1990s on its own, largely eschewing the rah-rah's frills. The latter eventually made a comeback in Britain in 2008, proclaiming that "Eighties look is all the ra-rave."
Examples of the rah-rah were to be seen on the covers of music albums such as Since Yesterday by Strawberry Switchblade (1984).
Etymology
Rah-rah is a reduplication of an abbreviation for "hurrah", which is used as a synonym for "cheering".
History
While the rah-rah skirt first originated in cheerleading, they were introduced to mainstream fashion in 1982. It was popular in the 1980s, until the mini skirt went back into popularity, but it made a resurgence in 2008.
Notes
- The Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 1991
- Konan, Julie (26 July 2016). "How I got here: Gifi Fields, founder of plus-size retailer Scarlett & Jo". Draper. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- See, for example, Daily Telegraph, 19 March 1991
- London Lite, 12 June 2008
- Merriam-Webster: Rah-rah
- Merriam-Webster: Rah
- "Rah-rah Skirt: The Popular Fashion Trend of Young Women in the Early 1980s". 25 August 2018.
- "A brief history of the Rah-rah skirt". 22 June 2011.
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