science

Hemline index

Hemline index is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hemline index rather than just read about it. In short: The hemline index is a theory that suggests that skirt length (hemlines) rise or fall along with stock prices. The most common version of the theory is that skirt lengths get shorter in good economic times (1920s, 1960s) and longer in bad, such as after the 1929 Wall Street crash.

Key takeaways

Hemline index belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hemline index to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hemline index from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The hemline index is a theory that suggests that skirt length (hemlines) rise or fall along with stock prices. The most common version of the theory is that skirt lengths get shorter in good economic times (1920s, 1960s) and longer in bad, such as after the 1929 Wall Street crash. However, the reverse has also been proposed with longer skirts signaling prosperity (1950s). The theory is often incorrectly attributed to economist George Taylor in 1926. Taylor's 1929 thesis Significant post-war changes in the full-fashioned hosiery industry, which identified skirt length as one factor that led to explosive growth in the hosiery industry during the 1920s, did not propose a hemline theory. Non-peer-reviewed research in 2010 supported the correlation, suggesting that "the economic cycle leads the hemline with about three years". Desmond Morris revisited the theory in his book Manwatching.

See also Men's underwear index Big Mac Index Lipstick Index

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hemline index

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hemline index claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hemline index before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hemline index ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hemline index

In research: Hemline index appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hemline index in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hemline index is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Economic indicators, Economic theories stubs, Fashion, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hemline index outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hemline index in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hemline index means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hemline index out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hemline index in simple terms?

Why does Hemline index matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hemline index?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hemline index.