Rey Brings Out the Modern Woman

Here is a clear image of how movement plays a role in creating the character. The tunic style is tied at the waist with the fabric flowing behind her. 

Here you can see the lack of sexuality in Rey's costume and character. Previously we have seen the women posing in sexual ways wearing clothes that drape over their body. Rey's outfit is purely function. She blends in with her surrondings and is able to move freely. Here you can see the arm bands and brown boots that serve as accesories 

Here you see the change to a vest instead of the tunic style sashes. The colors also changed to gray and white to match the new planet they are on. Though the outfit is different it features the same sleeves and pants as her previous ones 

Here is a full image of the similar style of her first and second outfits. Without the vest the tunic looks almost identical to the first one. It is darker though, allowing her to blend in with the world around her. But it also symbolizes the inner struggles she finds herself in throughout this film 

The use of the partial sleeves allows for the film to show any cuts Rey gets throughout her journey. This works to highlight the badass energy she encompases throughout the journey 

Here you can see that Rey's outfit goes back to its roots in the final film. Her last outfit almost completly resembles her first outfit. Expect that the it is a lighter white instead of tan. The lines are a little cleaner and her arms are bare. The light color represents her complete journey to the light side 

The tunic style and movement that comes along with it returns in this film. She is shown running through a forest and fighting lightsabers while her outfits blows around her. The sash around her waist ensures that her outfit stays together and allows her to hold the items she finds along the way 

In 2015 Star War’s came back with a new trilogy. They introduced a new character to our list of galactic badasses. Rey. Rey represents a quite different type of woman in the universe. She was a strong independent female with little storyline revolving around her and men. She also dresses differently than the women we have discussed previously. She is much more conservative. Her clothes blend her in with the world around her rather than help her stand out. She also does not go through a sexualization phase. Previously in each film trilogy the main female has gone through some sort of sexualized phase where their body was blatantly displayed. Rey has not experienced that. This shows the evolution that films have made involving women. They can now be a badass and save the universe, without also always looking good.  

In the first film Rey represents an orphaned child on a desert planet who is ready to get out. Her outfit is tan like the sand that surrounds her. She wears cropped pants with a tan tunic tied over the top of it. Her outfit benefits greatly from the movement of film. The long strips of fabric around her sides blow behind her when she runs. She uses her wooden stick as a weapon and that twirls alongside the fabric. It creates a strong image of a woman in motion.  

As Rey’s journey continues throughout the trilogy, we see minor change in her outfit. This is different from the previous films. It goes back to show that by 2015 the franchise was featuring the character arc of the female characters rather than the aesthetic choices. In her second look we see a darker color for the pants and capris. Her tunic style is now a light gray instead of a tan. It adapts to her new jungle surroundings. Again, we do not see any focus on her body or physical features, instead she is solely focused on finding her family and saving the galaxy.  

In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey’s outfit almost completely goes back to her original look. The outfit gets lighter. The color now almost white. The style is exactly the same. The tunic tied at the waist so the fabric can move with her. A waistband to hold supplies and capri pants and boots to make it easy for her to run. This final look really cements the fact that Rey has come a long way from her the original badass women in Star Wars. Her journey starts and ends in the same outfit—because while her character has undergone tremendous changes it does not have any effect on what she wears. This shows that Hollywood is moving in a positive direction in its portrayal of badass women. Hopefully, this trend can continue.