10 Star Trek Facts You Probably Didn't Know
5. Men Wore Minidresses To Combat Sexism
From the 1940s on pulp sci-fi covers often depicted woman in futuristic miniskirts or minidresses. The 1950s Space Patrol uniformed the female characters in minskirts, but it took a while for actual fashion to catch up. By the time Star Trek TOS aired, minidresses (like the women on the Enterprise wore) were the height of fashion. In modern America it was the highest hemlines had risen since the 1920s and it was intrinsically tide to the early feminist movement.
In the sixties having the futuristic Star Trek women dress in microminis was seen as empowering. By the 1980s times had changed, and more complicated conversations were being had about the sexualized portrayal of women in media. The iconic minidress uniforms might have been a problem for The Next Generation.
The solution was to make the minidress one of several standard uniforms that both men and women wore. Initially appearing in Encounter at Farpoint, nine episodes in the first and second season featured men wearing classic skant style minis. The third season began to phase out the last of the minidresses for the traditional Next Generation jumpsuit style uniform.