Eleanor Medhurst
Fashion historian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eleanor Medhurst (born 24 April 1997) is a fashion historian from Brighton. Her debut book Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion was released in 2024.
Eleanor Medhurst | |
|---|---|
Medhurst speaking during a lecture at SOAS, University of London in 2024. | |
| Born | 24 April 1997 |
| Other names | Ellie Medhurst |
| Alma mater | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Spouse | Lilith Dillon-Parkin |
| Website | dressingdykes |
Early life and education
Medhurst is from Brighton.[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fashion and Dress History in 2019 and a Master of Arts (MA) in the History of Design and Material Culture in 2021, both from the University of Brighton.[2][3] She received a Yarwood Grant from the Costume Society for the latter.[4]
Career
During her studies, Medhurst worked at the Brighton Museum, contributing to the 2018 Queer Looks display and Queer the Pier.[5][6] She also had a column in Polyester Zine[7] and started uploading videos online.[8] After completing her MA, Medhurst started the blog Dressing Dykes, saying she "wanted to make this research accessible".[9]
In October 2023,[10] Hurst Publishers acquired the rights to publish Medhurst's debut book Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion in June 2024.[11][12] The book's 18 chapters are each dedicated to specific communities, figures and time periods while also examining the hidden nature of specifically lesbian fashion history.[13][14] Medhurst described lesbian fashion history as a "patchwork of examples".[15] In 2025 Unsuitable was longlisted for the Bread and Roses Award,[16] as well as for the Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ writers in the First Book category.[17] Medhurst was one of several authors to withdraw her book from the Polari Prize to protest the inclusion of John Boyne over his anti-transgender views.[18]
Bibliography
- Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion (2024)