Armor for Women
by Lady Yang SuGyong


Introduction

I am Lady Yang SuGyong (or Stick Chick)- Squire to Syr Cedric of Thanet in the East Kingdom. As one of a growing number of serious female heavy weapons fighters in the SCA, I am often asked to demonstrate that women can and do fight in armor with the "big boys". Many times, a result of my exposure to the public is the discussion (and sometimes outright argument) of the difference of men fighting and women fighting. There are differences aplenty , but when it comes right down to it, if a woman was attacking you, would you try to tell her that she can't for whatever reason?

But before anyone can get out onto the battlefield, they need to pass inspection of the marshals. This means comfortable, protective, and light armor. For those who have never been in armor, the Society-wide regulations (which have additional but varying pieces of armor depending on your kingdom, so please check) of armor requirements include these...

Now when you look at this and visualize what is (more of what ISN'T) covered, you may wince to yourself (particularly if, like me, you come from a hard hitting shire). But these are only the required pieces of armor. Mostly, I'll only be covering the more difficult pieces to be found for women, namely the breastplate and the groin protection.

HAVE FUN! Don't be afraid to experiment with different armor types or different ideas. A great place to look is at the Swordmaiden page for Women Fighters. Feel free to write to me with any questions or concerns (or complaints!) This page is far from perfect, but I am hoping that it will be a good start to any fighters out there!


News and Updates

I've amended a bit of the pattern directions. It seems that I assumed- and you know what that does- that people would know where the breastplate should end at the bottom. Unfortunately, though that sounds as though it would be easy, men and women's bodies differ greatly in this respect.

Mens' waists are lower than women's' (see above armor requirement picture), and so their breastplates extend lower. A woman's breastplate should end at her bellybutton. If not, it will lead to an inability to bend properly or to extend their arms across their bodies properly.

As you've probably noticed, this page gets the "Temporarily unavailable..." message a lot. That is because this is a free webspace. It is only allowed to have a certain amount of traffic. If there is more, then they actually shut it down for a while.

Unfortunately, this website is just a part of my hobby and is designed to help others for free. I don't feel the urge to ask people for money or to pay for having this page up. *grin* So I hope that you will be patient with it and me when this happens.

I've added a documentation page with pictures from the middle ages of women in armor or fighting. It also has links to magnify each picture, a short description of who did them and links to the websites and sources they've come from.

Also, I have been trying to make this website more easily navigable. When I first made it, one page was plenty to fit everything on it, but as I found more and better information and news and funnies, it has simply become too large and ungainly for one page. So, I have split it up in hopes that it will be more helpful to those who access it.

  • Breastplates and Body Armor
  • Pelvic Protection
  • Other Armor Pieces

     
      Group Links

    The SCA Homepage
    East Kingdom Homepage
    Northern Shores Region
    Shire of Lyndhaven

    Armour and Fighting Links

    Armor and Weapons
    Lady Knights of the SCA
    Swordmaiden page for Women Fighters
    Ironrose page for Women Fighters

    Supply Links

    Popinjay's- Sharp Pointy Object Merchant Crafter
    eLeather Supply-Leather, Leather tools, etc