Nicknames for Demi: | Edit. Share what you know! Meanings and history of the name Demi: | Edit. This name first gained wide attention through the actress Demi Moore, who used it as a short form of her full name, Demetria. It is now being used as an independent name.
In Western fashion history, it's men who are the innovators, and women pick up bits and pieces of it as men abandon them. Women didn't really start wearing pants or trousers in public until the 1930s or so, revealing at least the shape of their lower bodies for the first time. Practicality really isn't high on the list of reasons why people wear the things they do.
Women wore pants as far back as the early 1930's. They were not favored until the war years as acceptable attire except in certain casual situations. It was not until sometime in the 1960's that they were completely accepted for daywear. Women were expected to wear dresses, hats and gloves for decades.