Advertising
I already responded to this post in the comments, but on the issue of advertising, I want to call your attention to this ad from 1891 that suggests that thin wasn't always in.
Anonymous asserts that "advertising in the early 1700s showed thin women and the obese ones were ridiculed." I'd love to see a link for that so I know what the basis for this statement is. (I know we are talking about different time periods. Really, any links to old-time weight-related advertising would be fun.)
Anonymous asserts that "advertising in the early 1700s showed thin women and the obese ones were ridiculed." I'd love to see a link for that so I know what the basis for this statement is. (I know we are talking about different time periods. Really, any links to old-time weight-related advertising would be fun.)
posted by mo pie at 1:29 PM
5 Comments:
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Sorry!
Didn't mean to delete my own post, but I'll try to recreate my point, which was...
I remember from sociology classes in college that the image of women has changed over the years and that those changes have a lot to do with cultural and economic influences of the time. The physical feminine ideal has changed from the wasp-waisted hourglass of Victorian times, to the busty women of the gilded age (think Lillian Russel) to the androgynous, thin women of the Flapper era.
I think advertising likely reflects these larger social changes, but it's also important to note that the kind of women portrayed in an advertisement (today or a century ago) is going to also depend on the kind of product being sold. Thus, the woman in a beauty product ad is likely to look very different from a woman in a kitchen appliance ad.
One book I like that deals with images of women in the media is "Where the Girls Are" by Susan Douglas.
Also, check out this link (in the Beauty and Hygiene area): http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/browse.html
Two great books on the topic with great big fat bibs...
Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West, Peter Stearns
and
Survival of the Prettiest: The science of beauty, Nncy Etcoff
Happy (or not) reading...
It's interesting that the most desirable physical attributes are usually the ones that you can only get if you're wealthy. When good nutrition was in short supply for most people, it was more desirable to be fat, because it meant you ate a lot and didn't have to do manual labor. Now that unhealthy foods are frequently cheaper than healthy ones, and the average person sits all day, thin is in. Same thing with suntans. Pale skin used to be desirable because it meant you were wealthy enough that you didn't have to work outside. Now (or at least up until recently), tan was desirable because it meant you had the leisure time to spend in the sun.
I agree. This is part of evolution. Most animals use a display of one kind or another to attract a mate. If the mate appears healthy, mating will occur.
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