Why does fashion repeat in 20-year cycles? Math has the answer

Science Friday | May 19

Bucket hats. Low-rise jeans. Track suits. As you might’ve noticed, Y2K fashion is in right now. People say that fashion moves in 20-year cycles, and it turns out…it does! At least according to math.

Host Flora Lichtman sits down with mathematician Emma Zajdela to figure out how she analyzed over 35,000 images of women's clothing dating all the way back to the 1860s to confirm this theory.

Guest: 

Dr. Emma Zajdela is a Franco-American mathematician and science diplomacy activist.

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