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Jan 1, 1400
1400
Fair skin was considered healthy. -
Jan 1, 1500
16th Century (1500s)
In Elizabethan times, the bell shape was the fashionable female body. Women had a huge lower half, small waist and flat chest. An iron corset was worn to flatten the chest for a breastless look. In England this was worn with a Spanish farthingale (petticoat), like a hooped cage which added size and shape to skirts. The farthingale was later worn with a roll of material called a bum roll to add even more width to a woman's body. Digestive & breathing problems developed from wearing corsets. -
Jan 1, 1500
1500
Pale complexions were considered healthy (if you lived indoors, you were wealthy, which meant you were healthy. If you were poor, you would work outside in the sun & therefore have a tan. -
17th Century (1600s)
Corsets became more like the ones we see today. They were called 'stays’ and were usually made with whalebone rather than iron. Petticoat hoops and rolls weren't as fashionable, leadin to the lower half of the body to have a more natural shape.
Pale skin was still considered healthy. -
1700
The paler a person's complexion, the more healthy they were considered.
Some women drank vinegar to achieve a pale complexion. -
18th Century (1700s)
Skirts were hooped again but the hoops were flat at the front & back to make a wide shape from side to side. This was also done with a panier (frame-work undergarment tied to the waist to support skirts at the sides). Women's ‘stays’ were tightly laced to bring shoulders back and give a round bosom and upright posture. Very tight corsets still posed as a health issue. -
19th Century (1800s)
In Victorian times women wanted the hourglass shape. Women wore corsets to draw their waists in to extremely small sizes. They wore crinolines to support their skirts. These were originally petticoats of stiffened material, which later evolved into hooped cages. As petticoats got bigger it became increasingly difficult for women to move around easily.
Women damaged their internal organs after wearing these outfits for long periods of time. -
1800
The natural look was considered healthy. -
Period: to
Victorian Period
Pasty & pale complexion was fashionable. -
Period: to
1900-1920
Pale tans became fashionable, though swimming in public was not accepted. -
20th Ventury (1900s)
In the early 1900s corsets began to die out. Women became more active in sports & physical activity, & the slender, athletic look came into style. -
1920s
In the 1920s, being slim was the trend among women, even to the extent were they would try to look like men. -
1930s & Early 1940s
The girdle came into fashion. Women wanted a bigger bust but slim hips. -
Period: to
1930-1970
Having a tan meant you were wealthy & healthy.
Swimsuits became smaller, so people could get as much tan as posisble. -
1960s
Miniskirts became popular.
Women sought to have the 'Barbie doll' look. -
1970s
It was fashionable to become toned, due to the trendy 'hippy' lifestyle. -
1980s
Having a slim & muscular body was considered healthy. People started to exercise more to attain a sculpted body. -
Period: to
1980-2000
Having a tan is still considered healthy, but due to rising health problems (skin cancer), people are becoming increasingly aware of the health risks. -
1990s
Being slim as a sign of health. However, the means people used to achieve this (lipo-suction, etc), were not. -
2000+
Being thin is what woman hope to achieve. Women resort to extreme and expensive measures including plastic surgery, gastric reductions and radical diets to become skinny.