How The Ideal Female Body Type Changed Through the Years

Fashion changes all the time, with different clothes being the top choice. However, a woman’s ideal body type also goes out of style sometimes throughout the years. During the last century, the most attractive options have changed dramatically. Often, these shifts are subtle, but there could be staggering differences between the decades.

Many people think it’s interesting to see how a woman’s ideal body type reflects society’s views. Plus, you get different top celebrities because of that idea. Here are some of the ways that the female’s body type has changed throughout the years.

Gibson Girl – 1910s

Magazines found it very expensive to publish photographs in the 1910s. Therefore, many of them hired illustrators to advertise. Charles Dana Gibson was one of the most famous because he depicted women wearing dresses over tight corsets to produce the hourglass figure and straight posture.

Camille Clifford

Camille Clifford was a beautiful actress and model and became the most famous Gibson Girl. She had an 18-inch waist, but that was only because she wore a tight corset and long gowns. Many people wanted to look like her!

The Flapper – 1920s

The Flapper style became highly popular in the 1920s, and it was a huge shift from that Gibson Girl image. These ladies had short hairdos and wore loose dresses that hid the waistline. Plus, they liked to accessorize. The 19th Amendment was ratified during this period, so women were allowed to vote!

Margaret Gorman

Margaret Gorman became crowned as Miss America in 1921. At the time, people thought she had the ideal body type for women, which was lean, long, and slightly boyish. That was a complete shift from the hourglass figure of the 1910s.

Soft Sirens – 1930s

After the Roaring ’20s, the ’30s saw another fashion shift. During the time of the stock market crash, women chose form-fitting dresses once more and had that classic feminine style men seemed to crave. Again, it was a shift from the boxier dresses of the decade before.

Dolores Del Rio

Dolores Del Rio showcased the ideal female body type and also had that old Hollywood glamour people craved at the time. Photoplay magazine described the bombshell as being warmly curved and roundly turned. Plus, this Mexican beauty was a Hollywood star with an excellent figure!

Star-spangled Girls – 1940s

The 1940s brought World War II, which drastically changed things. That global war affected everything, including fashion. Broad shoulders with long limbs were the most preferable option. Plus, many ladies sported the bullet/torpedo bra.

Betty Grable

Betty Grable was at the forefront for the ideal female body type in the ’40s. She was a popular pin-up girl of that decade, which you could see just about everywhere. Even military men had her photograph in their foot-lockers!

Hourglass Figures – 1950s

While curves never went out of style in the last decade, the 1950s focused more on the Gibson Girl’s waistline, so the hourglass shape was back in. Strong shoulders and thin bodies were no longer the top choices. Magazines also advertised weight gainers to widen out those hips.

Marilyn Monroe

Everyone has heard of Marilyn Monroe, even if they aren’t very familiar with her. This is the most famous woman in the world because of her hourglass figure, and her beauty has stood the test of time. Even now, people perk up when they hear her name!

The Twig – 1960s

After the 1950s, with its curvy and fuller body type, the 1960s went in a totally different direction. That classic hourglass figure was tossed out, and very thin and long was the top choice. Everyone wanted long figures, narrow hips, and small waists.

Twiggy

Lesley Lawson was often called “Twiggy,” and she was a model that brought in the new ideal body shape. Rail thin became the norm after she started modeling at 16, and she single-handedly changed the fashion landscape.

Disco Divas – 1970s

Rail-thin might have been popular in the 1960s, but things saw a slight shift in the ’70s. Curvy was back, though it wasn’t as pronounced as in the ’50s. Still, women’s body types were more balanced now. Disco divas looked amazing while they danced!

Charlie’s Angels

Who were the most famous faces in the 1970s? It had to be Charlie’s Angels, which were Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Farrah Fawcett. These ladies were already popular, but they had the classic ’70s body type – lean, long, and curvy.

The Supermodel – 1980s

The 1980s saw the “Supermodel” look introduced. This title was given to taller-than-average models with long legs. In fact, you couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing it on the screen, and MTV was notorious for it.

Rachel Hunter

Rachel Hunter was about 6 feet tall and towered over the others. This became clear when she stood next to Rod Stewart, her ex. He’s only 5’10”, and everyone remembered Miss Hunter on the cover of many magazines, such as Sports Illustrated.

Elle Macpherson

Another name that comes to mind when focused on ’80s Supermodels is Elle Macpherson. She embodied the ideal female body type and was nicknamed “the Body” because of her appearance. Decades later, she was still highly active in the modeling industry!

The Waif – 1990s

Though the ’80s focused on tall and slightly curvy, the 1990s made a jump to waif thin. Most of these women had no curves at all. In fact, it was dubbed “heroin chic” because it appeared that these bombshells had been taking drugs.

Kate Moss

Kate Moss is likely the poster child for the female’s ideal body type in this decade. She worked with Calvin Klein and became a fashion icon. Many people point to her when they think of how the size o trend began.

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder also perfected the waif-thin look. Many people thought it helped her gain fame, though her incredible acting didn’t hurt. Both she and Kate Moss had a relationship with Johnny Depp, the famous actor!

Buff Beauties – 2000s

As we headed into a new millennium, we said goodbye to the waif-thin look of the ’90s and focused on athletic body types. Women on magazine covers now had rock-hard abs and some curves.

Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen brought a new Supermodel style with her – athletic, long, and tall. This Brazilian model was the most highest-paid for decades. Many call her an influential person and the most beautiful woman in the world.

Booty Babes – 2010s

While athletic and buff didn’t go out of style completely, the 2010s brought in the curvy booties. Beyonce made this body style popular. At the time, she was part of Destiny’s Child, which produced Bootylicious. This song had all the ladies going wild, and the focus was back on the hips and behind.

Rihanna

Rihanna is also a popular music artist. She hails from Barbados and has killer vocals. Plus, her beautiful body and fashion sense don’t hurt. Now, she’s a businesswoman who became a billionaire through her fashion line and other ventures.

Kim Kardashian

Most women associate the big-booty era with Kim Kardashian. People wonder how her bodacious behind came to be, and there has been plenty of speculation about it. Now, many ladies choose to have cosmetic procedures to boost the tush.

Jennifer Lopez

With all the glitz and glamour, it’s hard to hide the beautiful booty of this babe. Jennifer Lopez, also called Jenny from the Block, has a tush to beat the band. Her hit song, Booty, also helped her showcase her rump.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is a highly popular female rapper. This iconic artist is known for her amazing skills, but she’s also got an incredible style that many ladies try to mimic. It all accentuates her curves well.

Changing Ideals

In today’s world, it’s not common for women to be put into a single group. They don’t want to conform to one body type. That might be from the magazine’s decline and the rise of the internet. Regardless, all women are beautiful in their own right.

Body Positivity

Most recently, the body positivity concept is the most popular. The idea is to encourage women of any color, size, shape, and background to feel empowered and beautiful. That means they don’t have to fit a specific body type someone else determines.

Marketing

Many companies have also decided this idea is best. Brands, such as Aerie, choose diverse models with different shapes, sizes, and body types. Plus, photo retouches are out, so people are shown as they truly are with their beauty marks intact.

Reality Versus Photoshop

Most people focus on the natural trend and accept their own bodies because of how much photoshopping went on in the 2000s. It’s possible to see just how much magazines chose to change celebrities’ appearances to sell more products.

Reality Versus Instagram

Instagram offers various filters to alter a person’s face, but it’s not the only social media platform doing that. Sometimes, they make people look so different that they’re unrecognizable. It often leads to body dysmorphia and is unrealistic.

Subtle FaceTune

Along with those dramatic filters, many people make small tweaks to photos with FaceTune and other apps. They aren’t as drastic as Instagram filters, but it still makes some people feel that their natural beauty isn’t enough.

Makeup Versus No Makeup

One popular trend on social media had been posting photos with no makeup on. It promotes self-acceptance of all people’s bodies and appearances. Plus, it shows you how much it might alter your look.

Cosmetic Procedures

Sometimes, people feel so uncomfortable with themselves that they go beyond makeup and alter their appearances permanently. They choose cosmetic procedures that significantly modify their style. Even young people get injections or fillers.

Ancient Procedures

Cosmetic procedures are often seen as the modern norm, but they happened in the past, too. China had that ancient tradition of binding young girls’ feet. It left them in severe pain and caused their feet to stop growing to appear doll-like.

Eyelid Surgery

Asian women tend to like Western beauty ideals and feel that they must conform. Therefore, they use cosmetic procedures like double eyelid surgery to change their natural eye shape.

French Beauty

French women often focus on “three white things,” which means to have white hands, skin, and teeth. They also use “three black things,” indicating their eyebrows and eyelashes. Today, however, those ideals have shifted to the person’s style instead of the body.

Skin

Whitening

Beauty ideals for foreign countries often look to the Western culture to determine what’s popular. Therefore, skin whitening is a popular option. Some choose serums and creams, but others go for expensive cosmetic procedures to lighten their skin.

The Future

It’s almost impossible to determine the beauty ideals of the future. Things happening during a specific time period influence the standard and style. However, it’s unlikely that women will conform to what others tell them is pretty because they’re more empowered now.