How Female Body Shape Changed in the 20th Century (Gallery)

I definitely have the androgynous body type. No tits to speak of, no hips, no curves. And I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
When I have short hair, (which is always) I am often mistaken for a boy. I'm not as thin as Twiggy or Kate (my BMI is about 18-19-20ish, I think- I don't weigh myself) but some people are just naturally small and some are naturally large.
The difference is, people who are at their natural size (no matter how big or how small) LOOK natural. They look healthy. Their skin looks good; their hair looks good; their nails look good. They don't look like crap walking around. They have energy.
Healthy androgyny is hot. The body type of someone who is trying to be at a weight that her/his body is not meant to be at...not so much.

Don't knock androgyny.

This was a very interesting post.

Wow, very interesting indeed. I think too that women over time have done various things to fit the ideals for the time. In the 20's, women bound their breasts to make them flatter and strived for the thin look. Women have worn corsets, pantyhose, bras of every shape and size, bustles, Spanx, high heels, etc., etc., to try and change their shape.

I personally have a fairly androgynous, boyish body because I run and have little body fat. I'll admit, I do wear a Wonderbra and "chicken cutlets" to look more feminine, but hey, it beats getting surgery.

In my opinion of female beauty, I have to totally vote for the early 1900's and for the 1950's. The eighties were pretty nice too. :D I suppose I'll always find the curvy look more attractive.

It's odd though when you look at photos of the 20's or 60's-- even ultra thin Twiggy-- the girls look healthier than models/actresses today--- It is in their faces, I think... less of the gauntness in the face that makes me suspect lack of health instead of natural thinness.

"Fashion model, dancer. Referred to as the first supermodel. This picture is from Vogue 1939."

Nope... the world's first supermodel would be Janice Dickenson.

I am amazed at how other men care much about the size we are.

I've never been a thin girl and never want to lose some weight as only if I am healthy. I am just happy with the person that I am inside. If others have problems accepting me for my size, it's their loss. They lose the opportunity to know someone who is beautiful on the outside and the inside.

Even the curvy women of "the good old days" had a BMI of 20 or so. The mean BMI for women is a value that says "overweight." Should being overweight the desired goal then?

Very interesting post. (I always thought that Marilyn had at least a BMI 23.) I think the downward trend in models has much to do with the upward trend in general population. When weight becomes an obsession for more and more women, the super-slim Ally McBeals must become sort of super-idols. It is a rule of market, so to say.

A lot of people have some really warped ideas of Marilyn Monroe's size. Like the claims she was a size 14. Size 14 in the 50s was not the same as the vanity-sized 14 of today. And if I recall, her waist size was around 23 inches when she was sewn into that happy birthday dress. Try to find a woman who is size 14 today who has a 23 inch waist!

She's the example of curvy and still had a normal BMI.

About "Marilyn Monroe": "The camera adored her, and she was the only person I ever met who photographed 10 pounds lighter."

And in all fairness, I think Twiggy was a teenager, not quite a woman, when she was popular -- unlike Calista Flockhart.

I think Heather makes a good point, they do all look healthier (except for Kate Moss) than people of similar BMIs today. And I agree with Andro Chick, any natural body shape is attractive. That is why I find the androgynous shape with big fake breasts bolted on to the chest so unattractive, it is a very unnatural body shape.

Marilyn Monroe only had a 23 inch waist when it was in a corset.

Not that my tastes mean anything, but I really like small hips and breasts, and good muscle tone. Maybe it's from being passed by faster women runners wearing cute shorts...

How willingly do we subscribe to a cult of perceived beauty that is attainable by so few?

Could it be that after all these years, many women are still judged (by themselves and others) on the basis of body shape and little else?

I agree with Heather and Jan about how much healthier even the skinny women looked decades ago. But the thing that concerns me most is that so many people today take weight loss and body image to such an extreme that they turn to surgery and eating disorders to attain the look they want. Besides being unhealthy, they don't seem to be very happy. So exactly what's the point of doing it?

I'm a believer in moderation. When people go to extremes, it suggests to me that they're trying to be perfect. But perfection is an unattainable goal.

It seems to me that man's ideal woman has changed little over the last century. But a woman's ideal body shape has shifted every few years. Almost like skirt-lengths or hair styles. For women it's a matter of fashion, for men it's a matter of biology (and biology just doesn't change that quick).