The real-life basis for those following characters is that they are all there because they are hoping to look for the meanings of their life and that they are finding a way to fit in.
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It changed over time because women started to want to wear different things. With the bicycle it changed because the movement needed to be fast. Because of the design of the bicycle from the early 1800's women most likely wore what they wore out of the household, including long skirts, blouses up to the necks and huge sun hats.