From Monroe to Kardashian: How Beauty Standards Changed Throughout History
From Monroe to Kardashian: How Beauty Standards Changed Throughout History
Sputnik International
Over the past 60 years, the standards of feminine beauty have changed dramatically, each decade tossing from one extreme fashion to another. 30.03.2017, Sputnik International
Over the past 60 years, the standards of feminine beauty have changed dramatically, each decade tossing from one extreme fashion to another.
Compare two ladies from 1957 and from 2017, and you will see that the contrast is obvious. Modern women are generally taller and they opt for ample curves rather than fine "hourglass" figure. An increase in waist size is also significant: it has changed from 70 centimeters to 86 centimeters in the average woman. Foot size has grown in 60 years, too.
Find out how ideal female body types have changed throughout the decades since the 1950s.
Known for her roles in the films "Miracle on 34th Street" and "West Side Story," American actress of Russian origin Natalie Wood is considered to be an exemplary lady of her generation. In the 1950s, she was a symbol of femininity and a role model for many American women.
Hollywood blonde icon Marilyn Monroe is the undeniable sex symbol of the 1950s. The actress was of short stature, just 162 centimeters tall, with a waist measuring 58 centimeters and chest and hips both 96 centimeters.
Ursula Andress, a French beauty of the 1960s, had 97-64-89 proportions, in centimeters. Starring in the 1962 movie "Dr. No," she became the first “Bond girl,” who impressed not only men, but also women.
Another bright representative of the 1960s is British fashion model Twiggy. Being 167 centimeters tall at weight of 51 kilograms, she marked the beginning of a fashion trend of thin, almost weightless women with short hair and expressive bold eye liner. Moreover, Twiggy is considered to be the first true top model.
Millions of women around the world wanted to look like American actress Farrah Fawcett. The peak of her popularity came in the 1970s, when her lush hair-style was requested by clients in every barber shop.
Italian actress Ornella Muti made it into history as a natural beauty model. In the 1970s, women sought to replicate her appearance and to achieve the same parameters of the figure. “The Taming of the Scoundrel” star was slim, but not skinny, and had a perfect set of breasts.
In the 1980s, the world was addicted to fitness: aerobics, jogging and various group lessons. It was then that top model Cindy Crawford began her ascent to the pinnacle of fame: her tall stature, endless legs and average breast size were considered ideal.
Cindy Crawford’s colleague Linda Evangelista could boast similar athletic model parameters. Her peak of popularity also took place in the 1980s and 1990s.
A symbol of the 1990s was British top model Kate Moss, famous for her extreme angularity – the so-called heroin chic. "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," she said. An epidemic of anorexia sparked in these years: in pursuit of the model’s figure, many women stopped eating.
The 1990s were also the time to shine for Pamela Anderson, an owner of lush breasts. Acting in the 1989 "Baywatch" series, this blonde has become a real sex symbol of her generation.
In the 2000s, a lean and tanned girl with well-developed abdominal muscles became particularly popular. The looks of pop diva Christina Aguilera were repeated on all costumed events.
Model Tyra Banks was another icon of the beginning of the third millennium. Tall and athletic, one of the most successful Victoria's Secret models always graced the cover of fashion magazines.
Nowadays, three major trends are observed. One of them is the beauty standard, dictated by American TV star Kim Kardashian. She is imitated by many; the most desperate ones even go under the knife in order to obtain the same shapes. Unnaturally large buttocks, a flat stomach and firm breasts made her one of the most famous women of our time.
Since 2015, body-positivity has been on the rise: fashion has accepted non-standard models. Women like Ashley Graham have become a symbol of freedom from stereotypes and strict diets. According to supporters of this ideal, it is naturalness and unconstrained exercise combined with a healthy appetite that should be the new benchmark for women.
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