In 1934, Levi Strauss & Co. introduced the first jeans specifically designed for women, called 'Lady Levi's.' These jeans featured a higher waist and a more tailored fit than men's versions, responding to the growing number of women wearing denim for leisure and ranch work. The introduction marked a turning point in the democratization of denim, making the garment accessible to female consumers and challenging traditional gender norms in fashion.

The introduction of women's jeans coincided with the rise of female voices in American poetry, from the confessional poets of the mid-century to the feminist poets of the 1960s and 1970s. Lady Levi's represented a new kind of freedom for women, allowing them to adopt a garment associated with male labor and adventure. Poets like Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath would later explore the complexities of female identity and embodiment, themes that resonate with the history of women's adoption of denim as a symbol of liberation.