Female Body Shape in the 20th Century
How has body shape changed during the last century? What were the popular and glamorized body shapes of the day?
Early 1900s
Camille Clifford
Actress - the quintessential "Gibson girl".
1920s
Louise Brooks
Dancer, showgirl, and actress.
BMI: 19.9
1930s
Lisa Fonssagrives
Fashion model, dancer. Referred to as the first supermodel. This picture is from Vogue 1939.
Also:
Greta Garbo
1940s
Betty Grable
The pin-up girl of the 1940s: "The girl with the Million Dollar Legs"
1950s
Marilyn Monroe
Actress, model.
BMI: 20
Also:
Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly
1960s
Twiggy
Model.
BMI: 15.
Mean BMI US females (aged 20-74): 24.9
Actresses of the time were in stark contrast to Twiggy:
Jane Fonda (the movie Barbarella, 1968)
Sophia Loren (the "perfect" hourglass - 38C-24-38)
Catherine Deneuve (measurements 33½-24-35)
Ann-Margret
Ursula Andress
1970s
Farrah Fawcett
Actress
Mean BMI US females (aged 20-74): 25.3
Also:
Jacqueline Bisset, Bo Derek, Brooke Shields.
1980s
Cindy Crawford
Model - the late 1980s marked the beginning of the age of the supermodel.
BMI: 19
Mean BMI US females (aged 20-74): 26.6
Also:
Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer
Madonna
1990s
Kate Moss
Model - marked the beginning of the 'waif' look.
BMI: 16
Mean BMI US females (aged 20-74): 28.1
The Gap Keeps Widening
It is tempting to draw an inverse correlation between the BMI of models and celebrities against that of the general population. It seems that as the average joe (or josephine) got fatter, the people we idolized became thinner.
However it is not quite that simple.
Many fashion models have been thin over time. Lisa Fonssagrives (above) described herself as a "good clothes hanger". Did she starve herself to get that way? Probably not.
The 1920s and 1960s both bucked the trend of the curvaceous woman. Ann Bolin, an anthropologist at Elon College suggests that "during periods of liberation, like the 1920s, when women had just gotten the vote, and the 1960s, when the Pill became available, the ideal shape for women deemphasized their reproductive characteristics--the nourishing breasts, the wide, childbearing hips."
Other measures of physical beauty show a very clear trend towards slimness.
- Waist measurements of winners of the Miss America pageant went from just under 26 inches (1920) to around 24 inches (1980s).
- During the period from 1979 to 1988, 69% of Playboy models and 60% of Miss America contestants weighed 15% or more below the expected weight for their age and height category.
Influential: High Fashion or Mass Media?
Some countries are beginning to ban fashion models of a certain size - but how much impact will this have on body shape ideals of popular culture? The real mind games come not from the subculture of high fashion - but from the insidious influence of popular mass media.
Remember Ally McBeal? The TV show of the late 1990s portrayed women as being very thin. At a time when mean female BMI hovered around 28 - the actress Calista Flockhart had a BMI of around 15.6. The trend continues today - much of the entertainment industry is fixated with thinness - in spite of a viewing public that keeps on getting heavier.
The last 40 years has seen explosive growth in the accessibility of visual media. Portrayal of full bodies rather than just faces has also been a trend (source). The scrutiny that our modern channels of media allow has reached a level undreamed of 40 years ago. Idols are rapidly created and discarded - leaving behind impressionable masses endlessly pursuing impossible goals.
So What Now?
Today's ideal body shape seems to be a bizarre combination of male desire and waifish androgyny; thin, no hips, big bust. For most this is only possible with a genetically-blessed bone structure along with surgery - something which America is pursuing with a vengeance. Couple this with the "toned" look, where muscular (but not overly-so) women play lead roles in Hollywood, and champion the fitness industry.
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?
We are a two-body society: one body is an advertising medium, the other body is what you see on the street.
I think it would be nice if hating the way you look weren't so good for the economy. [...] We know, too, that women in ads, knockouts to start with, are artificially perfected beyond human emulation. We know, but we forget. - Anne Bolin
Sources
Influence of fashion magazines on body image satisfaction (link).
Mean Body Weight, Height, and Body Mass Index, United States 1960–2002 (PDF).
Body shape ideals in magazines (1997) (link)
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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.
Replyi am on the androgynous side of things. slim , taaaalll 5 foot 11 and i am i guess almost well , mmm 160 ibs. i do not know. but i love how i look . a lot of ppl tell me i need to put on some weight . but i am so happy with how i look l. i have no bust , my butt almost vanished on me due to working out a lot and surfing , no curves . if i am only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and hair all gelled out , i would pass for a cute boy . which i do not mind at all . i do not care if it was a fad looking like this ?!!! i mean if it was no longer envogue i wills till look the same..
ReplyI think it's just refreshing to hear women like themselves!
ReplyThis was a very interesting post.
ReplyWow, 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.
ReplyIn 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.
Reply"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.
ReplyNope, wrong again (:
Janice said she was the first supermodel, but what about Dorian Leigh, Lisa Fonssgrieves, Twiggy, Cheryl Tiegs, Wilhelmina, Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton, the last 6 along with 15 other models were recognized as super models in 1968, eleven years before Janice claimed to have coined the term supermodel.
ReplyI think that the change in body image is always going to be bad, as its always going to have the aim to perfect the existing views on the female body.
'if the defenition of perfect gets any thinner
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.
ReplyEven 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?
ReplyBMI:
the ratio of body weight in fat to total body weight
-There is a 'standard' (or to better phrase 'false') test to find this magic number. The test is to type your body weight into one of those online BMI calculators. Tada!!
So, lets find my BMI with the false (... I mean standard) test
height: 5ft 6in (66 inches)
weight: 130 lbs
BMI: 21
-You've probably heard of the 'pinch' test, right? Most girls hate this test. THIS IS THE REAL MAGIC NUMBER. So, after taking the false test and feeling pretty good (I hope ^.^), you should do the real thing.
My real BMI is 19.8, not 21.
-Either way, like women have posted so far, healthy is healthy. Naturally thin is gorgeous, but there are several types of skinny... Like 'skinny-fat' (gross btw, eww :P), these people can weigh lower than average but not healthy AT ALL. This is 1 of the several reasons the false test doesn't work: weight 120lbs, height 5ft 6in: False test BMI=19.4, real test BMI maybe 25.
So, in other words Marlyn Monroe was one hot, fit, momma!
ReplyVery 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.
ReplyA 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.
ReplyAbout "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.
ReplyI 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.
ReplyThats rather harsh to say "unnatural" about the whole body shape though.
Clearly if you get fake breasts that are out of proportion to the rest of your body, it will look unnatural...
But coming from a pretty thin person (120lbs at 5'8) with rather small hips and 32DDs (reduced a few years ago at age 14, down from 32Fs caused by hormones), it doesn't look unnatural on me because they're real...and thats just how I was made.
Yet the article is right because I have yet to meet somebody with my measurements and BMI...
I think its safe to say "if its your natural and healthy shape, its right" in most cases. Much like the first post "Andro chick" stated.
ReplyMarilyn Monroe only had a 23 inch waist when it was in a corset.
ReplyNot 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 breathe? I honestly believe that it is innate. I have no idea how I would prove this, though.I think your use of "little else" is hyperbole, but power and sex are innately tied together. Remember this? I've not done any study, but I sure remember these ads in publications read by boys approaching puberty - who are often insecure about their physique.ReplyI 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.
ReplyIt 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).
ReplyThere is a lot to be said for reaching a certain age, and maturity, and finally realizing the hell with what anyone Says or thinks, I'm gonna be just what I am.
And, I'm gonna like it.
Yeah, for some, that may even be a continual process.
I'd rather work on that, though, then someone else's idea of what I should look like.
I run. I workout. I am in awesome physical condition.
I am working on my weight.
This is healthy and feels fantastic.
Please, no offense, but being mistaken for a boy, no thanx!
ReplyI'm struck not by overall weight, but how the concept of leanness has come to the forefront. Models early in the century had a softness to their body, even the slender ones. As you get into the 60's, 70's and beyond that softness changes... to either boniness or leanness over a moderate amount of muscularity. With current thoughts about fitness, I don't imagine we'll be going back to idolizing the soft, squishy look any time soon.
ReplyEven the "curvy" women have a BMI at the low end of normal --- like Marilyn Monroe's 20. Why focus on the skinny models? If American women can be inspired by Marilyn Monroe to get to a BMI of even 25 or 23, that would be enough!
ReplyMore like "Seek perfection and you'll be miserable for the rest of your life." I don't know who Jack Lalaine is, but he sounds like a bit of a jerk.
ReplyI like a woman with powerful shoulders and a sturdy frame.
ReplyHi Nic,
I think that the quote was "If you don't seek perfection, you can never reach excellence", which is one of those wonderful things that coaches like to say (I think Don Shula said this once, but probably a bunch of folks have).
Jack's a good guy, even though he is an amazing showman. Is he still around? The last I heard, he was offering $100,000 to anyone who could keep up with him in his workout. This was when he was in his eighties. He must be over 90 by now.
Anyway... some people need to seek perfection and some people need to avoid such stress. Athletes, Scientists, and other pitta-kind of folks may find this kind of advice encouraging.
ReplyI think someone like Audrey Hepburn when not in a dress may well be mistaken for a boy, and she was one of the most gorgeous women ever. I think that was Andro Chick's point, Audrey was gorgeous and so was Marilyn. There is not one ideal of feminity. If one thinks only the exaggerated feminity of a Marilyn is what being feminine or real is, then one must apply the same standards to men and think only a super buff Jean Claude Van Damme type is masculine, when in reality, there are a variety of body types for both genders.
Considering both Scarlett Johansson and Beyonce always rate pretty high on any hot women list as voted by guys, I'd say the soft squishy look is plenty in. I mean, both are gorgeous, but both are pretty squishy and soft.
Replyhttp://www.jacklalanne.com/biograph.html
ReplyOne thing to remember in all this, is that the term "overweight" is arbitrary. It's something that society decides (or in our generation the WHO).
It's also truly impossible to determine an accurate picture of popular body shapes because, well, everyone has a different opinion.
As for my opinion, well I'm married to a powerlifter... and she's just damn fine :-)
Another question: Where are we headed? On the Kate Moss BMI stats, there is a difference of 12 BMI points between her and the US population. Incredible.
ReplyThe Penn & Teller episode you linked, Jim, showed that the BMI was created by an economist, if I'm not mistaken. The determination of the range of what is normal was done by an insurance company with a very small sample of people, wasn't it? So it really is a silly standard. It may sorta work most of the time, but there is no way someone who weighs 130lb at 5'2" is healthier than someone who weighs 135lb at 5'2". It is a 5lb difference.
Replywell i certainly hope this was a joke. or else you should watch a little less america's next top model, hun.
funnily enough i have no hips and a big bust. but i'm not thin haha. when i lost 8lbs (from 135lbs to 127lbs) my hips were 34 inches. i still had maybe 10-12 lbs to go and they probably would have got down to 33inches. right now they're 35 inches because i'm back at 135lbs (lol, "victim" of freshman 15). i'm a full C cup, if i stopped being a chicken and got measured again i may well be a D. i think i'd look more in proportion if my breasts were smaller as i'm 5' 1" and with no hips, it just looks a bit off. according to bmi, i'm 5lbs over weight (currently my bmi 25.5) but i really need to lose about 20lbs because 5lbs off my body wouldn't make much of a difference. i dont really subscribe to bmi all that much to be honest. i dont carry extra weight well at all. i most admire marilyn monroe and the 80s more "atheltic" looking models, that looked like they were healthy at least. as for the androgynous look, well my figure is kinda of boyish because of my lack of hips, i wear boyish clothes and i have short hair. i like androgynous models like erin o'connor and omahyra mota, although they are quite thin women they dont look gaunt imo and their weight seems to be natural.
Reply"Overweight" is not entirely arbitrary, but using BMI as a reference point is not the way to go. BMI refers only as weight versus height, so if you have a more fit, muscular person and a somewhat overweight (as in fat) person, they could actually have the same BMI because of the mass difference of muscle tissue.
Despite that, there are far too many contradictions today. People are told to be confident and proud of they're bodies, but the emphasis on health still doesn't get through to certain demographics. In the end, it seems like the wrong people are following each piece of advice. If you're a woman and are 5'2" and weigh 140lbs, its almost impossible that you're healthy. I'd also be incredibly surprised that anyone of those stats regularily eats well and exercises. Its not impossible, but highly unlikely.
There should always be emphasis on diet and exercise instead of body type. If you are really eating healthy and exercising, but are slightly heavier then some other person, then thats fine. But the reality is people want something for nothing, and it seems most people that claim to eat healthy and exercise really don't, or at least still maintain enough "bad" habits to offset any good they do.
As for what people find attractive, it just depends on what standards you have. I personally like smaller breasts, some hips and ass, and some legs that have something to them. Basically most body types in the 1900-1950 range. Girls where you can draw a straight line from their shoulders to their waist without any protrusian, and nobby legs, I just don't find appealing, but thats still just me. Point is, theres always people who will find any specific body type appealing, so what the general culture finds appealing is just that – a generality.
ReplyAre you shitting me? Of course you can be healthy at that weight and height. I'm significantly heavier than that and I promise you I am healthier than and can outrun more than 80 % of the younger, thinner, "healthier" women at the gym.
Health has little to do with weight until someone becomes morbidly obese. And THIS article has nothing to do with health, it's about body as fashion and cultural standards of beauty.
Yes, I realize this is a diet blog, but be serious.
ReplyI used to be so thin - now after 2 kids I'm 5'4" and 140 lbs. and wear an 8. I feel like the fattest, most disgusting person on earth. I am trying to take the weight off and at least get down to 120 but it's hard to do. Sometimes I wish I were dead, and am tempted to just take all those antidepressants the doctor gave me to make it all better. This kind of stuff really does f**k people up and makes many women's lives a living hell, like it does mine. I have a law degree from an ivy league school and am working on my MBA but I feel like warmed-over worthless dog s**t because I am not a size 2. That is how it IS, folks.
ReplyI thought that BMI was originally devised from insurance actuarial (that might not be the right word) tables. Although you might very well be right and I might be confused.
ReplyEither way, yes, it is silly. I remember playing with a BMI calculator once and thinking "Huh, so if I weigh 138 lbs I'm okay, but if I weigh 139.5 lbs I'm not?" I was only about 17 and I still knew it was silly.
I like my women to have a flat chest and at leats 3 inches of penis.
ReplyOh so you are a Pussycat Dolls fan.
ReplyRight you are, Amanda. I'm 5'2" and I had a regain a while ago that put me at 144lb, all the while keeping the same diet and exercise schedule as I had at 127lb. I was just as healthy, and my cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure remained exactly the same as they do at 127lb and at 115lb. There was no effect on my health whatsoever, on stamina, on anything. The only negative side effect was having to spend money on clothes that were bigger.
Nic, the Healthy Weight Range was developed by insurance actuarial tables, the BMI by a Swiss or Austrian economist or sociologist (sucks to be old and not have a memory, but anyway, European non-health worker) studying the populations in (Switzerland, or Austria - the opposite country where he is not originally from). And you are right, if you drink a bit of water or not have a bowel movement that day or eat a few too many pickles and get bloated and then weigh 139.5lb, you are suddenly at risk for all those awful diseases that fat people have, hahaha.
Reply1) Body size ideals are extremly old. Vitruvius, from the 1st Century b.c. "de Architectura", Book III, Chapter 1: ... "for nature has so planned the human body that the face from the chin to the top of the forehead and the roots of the hair is a tenth part; also the palm of the hand from the wrist to the top of the middle finger is as much; the head from the chin to the crown an eight part;..." where you find the recipe for the "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo. Treating the body as a standard of beauty to be emulated by architecture is interesting of course thinking about recent ideas in neurobiology and pre-wired recognition of certain forms (faces).
Reply2) BMI. My BMI is 33.5 - but I'm an extreme mesomorph with very over-developed muscles - start with 20" arms but 34" waist and go on from there. I was the fat kid in elementary school, but now I'm very healthy at 45, low resting heart rate, blood pressure, and so on. Unless BPI is linked to 'squishiness', I find it fairly useless.
3) Height. "Supermodels" are tall. I lived near Elite Models in Paris years ago and I was surprised at how tall these women were. That will very much distort BMI.
4) Ageing. I believe the average age of all western populations is rising, and rising more rapidly. As people age, endocrine functions drop off dramatically, and have a huge influence on bodyfat. I think we're not seeing people particularly fatter overall, I think we're seeing people get OLDER.
5) HGH. Every year over 25 or 30, your body's production of "Growth Hormone" drops off significantly, from 50% at 30-40, to probably 15% per decade after 40-50. This is precisely when men get that deposit of fat around their belly. If you take HGH to supplement back to "young" levels, the fat melts away and your body. Believe me. You don't "grow".
6) Chart average age, average HGH reduction from youth, and BMI (though I don't like it), and control for height, and I suspect you'll find the 'problem' is just that most people are slowing down and getting heavier, while 'models' have become taller and are more muscular.
7) Read some great books on bodies by Anne Hollander, Hersey, and a recent fun one "Science of Sexy" by Bradley Bayou.
Probably due to the fact that those photos were PRE-Photoshop. If that pic of Betty Grable was taken today, you know they would have digitally slimmed and polished her legs.
ReplyGreat point!
ReplyYou, sir, are insane.
I'm 5'3.5 and (wait for it 160) I eat healthfully. (Too much of course-- Calories in and Calories out, though I don't gain weight only maintain-- I graduated HS at this weight), but healthfully.
I exercise. I have ran a marathon. Last week, I ran 43 miles, and three hours of weight training-- and felt lazy! I have been a runner for just under 8 years, so this isn't a new program I'm waiting on results from...
My blood pressure is healthy; my resting pulse is 60 bpm.
I am 29% body fat, so I am overfat. The other numbers that indicate health say that there is little effect from only this... Losing it (which I do want to do) is more vanity than anything.
You really need a reality check if you think a 5'2 140 lb woman can't be healthy and fit.
Geez, I'm only an inch and a half taller, and 140 would put me at 20% body fat and is my ultimate goal.
Replyim currently a fashion model in nyc..and this whole thing is ridiculous
here are the facts
-about 99% of male designers are gay
-designers hand pick their models for their runway shows
-the models that designers pick are basically what designers LIKE, what APPEALS to them
-we live in a time where being openly gay isnt frightening and shameful..since designers are MEN who are GAY they like women who look like BOYS/MEN (thin, no curves, boyish look basically!)
-in the past when models werent thin, being gay wasnt as accepted as it is now so designers who were most likely all closet gays picked models who appeal to STRAIGHT men so the gay designers themselves appear to like woman
which is why models being thin is popular in fashion..their body types resemble boy body types and that appeals to gay designers..im sure this runway season theyll throw in some curvy models in the mix but only because itll make it seem as if they truly want to change the "fashion model image"..but really they know itll just make them money..simple as that.
ReplyTo Jej:
Tall, slender women do seem to have a way of making clothing look elegant if presented correctly. I think this is more to do with objective measures of aesthetics rather than any conscious or unconscious homosexually-motivated selection process by designers. Fashion photography is an almost exclusively heterosexually dominated aspect of the industry, and their preferences in models are little different from these designers. Many heterosexual men and women also seem to find fashion models - excluding the unhealthy anorexic types sensationalised by the press - elegant or attractive when asked for their honest opinions.
My honest gut feeling around this issue is that the appeal of these models to heterosexual men is that they look like young girls (ie. female pedomorphism), which has - historically at least - always been an inherent component of the male heterosexual drive, and is, psychosexually, nothing at all to do with an underlying preference for androgyny or homosexuality.
Speaking for the several women I've spoken to regarding this issue: For girls to aspire to be like these models may represent a mode of self-infantilism or hyperfemininity in a sociocultural environment which demonises ageing, and may serve as a release or subconscious rebellion against the wider liberalist media-driven trend which urges women to act like and compete with men.
ReplyAs to why ectomorphic girls are being chosen preferentially by designers:
(1) A designer working in an industry such as high fashion requires a considerable degree of allogender empathy in order to design clothes for women. In males, the most prominent biologically-driven patterns of allogender empathy occur in two forms (a) as sexual partner for genetic propagation (b) as girl-child for a parental mode of nurture. Unable to relate to females sexually, homosexual males may fall back to whatever vestiges they may have of the latter pattern: Visibly infantilised female models may represent a more accessible and less alien focus onto which homosexuals can project an adult-child mode of allogender identification in order to inspire their work.
(2) As mentioned above, there is a very strong case to be made about the objective aesthetic appearance of slender ectomorphic girls in a high fashion context. This seems to relate more to absolute standards of form and flow in the movement of clothing rather than transient sociocultural aesthetic trends or memetic propagation of established high fashion ideals.
If homosexuals sought to design flowery dresses for males as an expression of their sexuality, they would be unlikely to be so heavily invested in an industry in which the emphasis is primarily on female couture. They would more likely develop their own subcultural niche glamorising effeminate male fashion in their own style. The notion that they choose androgynous-looking models to gratify or placate their homosexual urges is grossly inconsistent with the broader nature of sexuality, even considering the influence of subliminal motivations. For example, heterosexual men who specialise in male couture are unlikely to compensate for the short-term lack of female company by feminising their choice of clothes-hangers; rather they would be more inclined to accentuate established gender role perceptions within their work. The process is more complicated than matters of visual appearance alone, and relates to overlying principles of social interaction deriving from gender identity, or distortions thereof.
ReplyEvery healthy, active woman is beutiful. The key to glamour is a good taste in dress code and little imagination.
Reply