After World War Two, being skinny wasn't the ideal figure. Broad shoulders and curves became the new look. Unfortunately, this did not mean that strong was the ideal look yet, however height and superiority were the body ideals throughout this decade.
This ad shows a woman showing off the weight she gained by using Ironized Yeast tablets. This advertisement helps show the differences between today's ideal body shape and that from the 40s, when skinny was the last type of figure any woman wanted.
Marilyn Monroe was the ideal figure and woman during the 1940s. She conquered the look that screamed embracing the curves that you're born with. In this photograph, she looks both happy and confident in the way she reveals her stomach and chest area -- portraying what every women wanted during this decade.
This "prezi" touches upon many differences between present day and the 1940s in terns of what it means and meant to be truly beautiful, and what that used to entail compared to what it entails nowadays such as weight requirements for models, average waist measurements, and how the media has changed certain beauty standards since the forties.
A part of the reason why the traditional look came back into style is because of the Great Depression and the impact it had over our society. The style was based on what felt practical, and women began to embrace their feminine figures.
Before the 40’s, a woman who depicted the ideal look was the well-known Mae West. As more and more women became frustrated and fed-up with this unrealistic figure (perfect curves in all of the right places), the ideal look changed to healthy and not stick-thin.
This article also expresses how big of an impact the war had over this decade and the way people, specifically women, portrayed themselves on the outside. Their growing power in society was shown through their bodies and clothing. This article points out that although women were becoming more confident in the clothing they wore that showed off their bodies, this left more room for insecurities in women to feel like they must have the perfect body to flaunt. This goes to show that no matter what the style or ideal look is throughout each decade, women have always felt a pressure to look perfect.
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