This is indeed an area in which I am very much interested in. How the ideal female form has changed over the decades. It doesn't just go back decades though. The desired female body has been a subject of importance to many for centuries. In society today, there are very few who can honestly hand on heart say they are 100% happy with their figures and it raises the question why? Why when every new turn of a century or decade a new physical form becomes the fashion? Why not pick one we are all individually happy with? Why do we feel pressure to conform to the universal idealisation?
I for one do not wish to conform. Neither do I glower at those who do not fit MY ideal of what I want MY body to look like and I certainly don't try to please men like so many arguments out there flog like a dead horse. I do however like to look nice and feel comfortable in the clothes I wear. I happen to think that all women look lovely no matter what size they are and what clothes they choose to wear. Personally for me though, I prefer to be petite and I want my clothes to fit me in a certain way. Why? Well read on.....
The Renaissance
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| Venus |
During the 1400's in which the Renaissance period took place, the ideal Renaissance woman was larger and more voluptuous than at any other time in history. Paintings from this era depict women who are overweight, some would argue to the point that health professionals would encourage these ladies to hit the gym. But at that time, these women were the epitome of perfection. For the first time in recorded history, women were praised for their rounded bodies.
Perhaps it may be obvious why a look was so vastly popular at this time? It was believed during this period that body size determined wealth, the larger you were the richer and more successful you were, hence more attractive, the poorer - the thinner. How times have changed.
The Victorians
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| Corsets and Bustles |
Well , one thing you can say about the Victorians is, they did it the quick way. Victorian women were of a more body conscious generation. Corsets anyone? Victorian women strived to have the smallest waistline humanly possible. In order to achieve this, women wore corsets. Some corsets were tied so tight that women could hardly breathe, and it was not uncommon for these ladies to have a couple of ribs removed in order to look better. There is even evidence to suggest that their organs actually moved from their original location to right up inside the rib cage. The force of having the tight cage around them day after day caused this to happen. But that's the sacrifice you give for a waist of 12 inches. Layered petticoats, hoops, and bustles became very popular, all of which magnified the behind. The idea was that the one goal in life was to get married and have children. In order to accomplish this goal, the Victorian lady felt she HAD to conform to this body type in order to attract a male.
The 1920's Flapper
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| The amazing Clara Bow |
One of my favourite decades from last century (it still feels like this century even now) was the 1920's! Oh the glamour and liberation! The 1920s was a decade when women began to turn away from the corseted uptight Victorian fashions. It was in fact possibly the first time that the straight up and down, skinny look became fashionable, paving the way for models like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, then later Kate Moss and Vlada. Some women of the ’20s era would bind their chests with strips of cloth to achieve a flat chested look. There is also records of women eating nothing but Cabbage Soup in order to achieve a narrower frame. The loose silhouette of the flapper dress was in stark contrast to the corseted waist of the Victorian era. Elastic webbed girdles replaced corsets and gave off the look of a flat stomach. This was the era of letting loose. Women smoked, swore, drank alcohol and GOT DRUNK! Cocaine became popular at parties and women loved to offend the old notion of femininity. Short bobbed hair replaced long but structured up-dos and dark vampish make-up covered Silent Film rolls.
The 1950's
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| Figure Quarterly Circa 1950's |
By now you can see why the feminine ideal began to change. Women became more body conscious and started to pay attention to what they ate. Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe popluarized the newly desired hourglass shape. Like the Victorian times, as if taking a few political steps back, woman were again told that 'catching a man' was the goal in life and again this fuller figure would help them achieve this. The new padded stretch cotton bra was introduced and Designers like Chanel and Dior started designing glamorous clothing that allowed women to show off their feminine curves. Contrary to popular belief, I would like to add here that yes Marilyn was a size 16 in the 50's. This is in fact now the same measurements as a UK size 8.
The 1960's
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| Veruschka |
The 1960's took a swing back in time to the 20's and if you look closely mimicked much of what was popular then. The straight boyish figure was back and models like Twiggy
became popular due to their waif like figure. Dresses became A-line straight cuts with simplistic patterns on. Designers like Mary Quant went for the monochrome look which was very popular.You could say models from this time set the standard for the girls of today strutting down the catwalk. However, for those who fight for the plus size lady in fashion today, I would like to point out that skinny girls and models were not always considered the ideal for fashion or society. Skinny women were shunned by fashion houses in a similar way that more curvaceous women are allegedly now. David Bailey originally saw no potential in Twiggy the first time he saw her because the ideal was still the 50's hourglass. What a shame this would have been if ALL body types continued to be unacceptable.
The 1980's
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| Cindy Crawford |
The eighties was the decade of fitness and exercise. The Aerobics exercise craze of the 80s further emphasized fitness for women. Women were expected to maintain a certain weight, but still appear toned but without being too muscular. Cindy Crawford and Elle McPherson embodied this figure together with modelling gym wear. Many would say by today's standards that these women were actually bordering plus size model, the were certainly fuller than the 60's girls, but more muscular than the 50's girls. The Power Suit was now in with the famous shoulder pads and women began to aspire to being powerful, strong and looking it. As unpopular as she was and still is, women like Margaret Thatcher in some respects paved a new road for women. The Career Woman. Not only did the Career Woman work in a high powered job, she still had time to work out. The body mirrored the times.
Heroin Chic
When the 90's hit, it was almost like a reverse back in time. The 90's was very much a time of liberation and mirrored the 1960's in many ways, particularly in Fashion, Design and Music. Models like Kate Moss broke onto the scene and a new name for skinny became popular. Heroin Chic was the title given to it. I believe in some ways "Heroin Chic" is given far more importance but also disdain by many than what it actually deserves. It was just a new name for skinny, combined with the grunge look made popular by kids in Seattle. In regards to the unhealthy image Kate Moss portrayed, she was 17 at the time and owned what could be considered as a normal skinny teenager's body. Was this look any less healthy than the voluptuous look of the Renaissance period? Probably not. One may argue that Kate Moss was not too skinny compared to models now...not to forget that "Heroin Chic" doesn't actually mean "go out and take heroin kids and you can be a model too".
It's just a name.
2012
Where to start? Are we talking about the Fashion Industry or the Streets? This could be one aspect that has changed with time. No longer do we only follow the trends the Designers and Photographers set us. This blog alone can only demonstrate that fact. We now look to the past, music, our favourite film stars and celebrities to determine the way we choose to present ourselves. Of course, without a doubt Fashion Houses still use slender models and most designers will not even entertain the idea of doing a plus sized range. However, the beauty ideal is not so clear cut. We have surgical proceedures available to help us achieve the body and face we want (or don't want more commonly) and we have mostly affordable gyms on our doorstep. We have Music and Film stars projecting different body types and the Model figure appears to have become less and less desireable by women today, why? I don't know, maybe time and effort? I believe that many people see their body like buying a new pair of jeans. You can choose what cut and shape you want and if you want that you can have it. I also believe that the reason many women no longer look to the fashion industry for the ideal body is because in the media we have such a vast choice to "choose" from, any body is acceptable.
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| Vlada Roslyakova - High Fashion Model - Super Skinny |
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| Miranda Kerr - Victoria Secret Model - Slim |
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| Gwen Stefani - Athletic |
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| Beyonce - Curvy |
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| Katie Price - Fake - Well not my favourite but still undeniably now a body type |
