Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.
If women dressed for men, the stores wouldn't sell much - just an occasional sun visor.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously suggests that women's fashion choices are not primarily for men but rather serve other purposes.
Groucho Marx's quote highlights the irony in societal expectations regarding women's fashion. It suggests that if women were to dress solely for the approval of men, the variety and complexity of women's clothing options would be drastically reduced, leading to a hypothetical retail landscape dominated by simple and minimalistic options. This implies that women's fashion is a form of self-expression, serving personal taste and comfort rather than merely catering to male desires.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
You can use this quote to start a discussion on women's fashion choices in a fashion class.
More from Groucho Marx
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Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot. I implore you, send him back to his father and brothers, who are waiting for him with open arms in the penitentiary. I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth.
Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do!
Similar quotes
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I kind of keep my personality in my pocket a lot. When I start to do stand-up, that's not my true personality either. It's the personality of a guy who hasn't been able to say what he wanted to say.
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That's what's great about standup comedy: the instant feedback. You get up on stage, you tell a joke, if it doesn't work, come back the next day with a better version of it.
Journalist: a person without any ideas but with an ability to express them; a writer whose skill is improved by a deadline: the more time he has, the worse he writes.