Were the movie actresses of the 40s and 50s as slim as today's actresses?

Question

was there a slimness craze in the past, as much as it is today?

Answer 1

It is a fact that the studio system of the '40's made sure their leading actrsses kept their lovely figures, usually with amphetamines (which is why Judy Garland was so addicted to drugs and alcohol throughout her life).  The studio system died out in the '50s, and curvy women became more popular (Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Jane Russell, Brigitte Bardot).  Their lives were still heavily spun by press agents, though, and addictions were kept hushed.

Don't confuse "slim" with "well-muscled."  Modern actresses have trainers and spend hours in the gym every day, and their bodies are very different than they were 50 and 60 years ago when no self-respecting woman would be caught dead lifting a weight.

And don't kid yourself.  Marilyn drank and took drugs.

Answer 2

I'm laughing because on an episode of "I Love Lucy", Lucy tries to lose 5-10 lbs to get in a size 12 stage costume by going into a steam box of some kind.

Now you know if that were today, someone would make a script about living in that same steam box for a month!

Answer 3

No, it's a fairly new-fangled trend that has happened in the past 20-ish years.  

Marilyn Monroe was a size 14.  Yes, she was.

Edit

Baba Yaga:  I'm not kidding myself.  By saying that actresses were slimmer in past days doesn't mean I'm just sitting here fooling myself into believing that everything was "hunky dory."  I'm well aware of the drugs, alcohol, and everything else involved in those days.  That was not part of the question.

Answer 4

Some were slim, some were not. I think that there was a healthier image of the female body back then. Look that the s*x symbols of the time, Marilyn Monroe for example. Those women definitely were not stick figures!

Answer 5

No, they weren't. Most were a size 12 or so. Back then, it was actually acceptable for women to have REAL bodies. They didn't even need plastic surgery to be considered attractive, can you imagine that?

Sadly, today's standards for women to be seen as beautiful are notoriously unrealistic. Not only for actresses but for women in general. Our society has definitely been going through what you called a slimness craze.

Answer 6

Women were still slim, even in the 40s and 50s. You don't believe me? Look at pictures of Veronica Lake, Jayne Mansfield, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, and Liz Taylor. Rita Hayworth was forced to lose weight between movies. The average woman's body looks nothing like what Lauren Bacall or Veronica Lake looked like. The main difference is that a more "womanly" aesthetic was preferred, the obvious exception of that being Audrey Hepburn who often portrayed the lithe gamine. Nowadays, Hollywood is more youth-oriented, and this includes juvenile body types (the lack of curves, the lack of b*****s, the lack of hips) and a juvenile looking face.

Marilyn was not a size 12, 14, or 16. Her waist is reported to have been a 22 inches, with a bust and hips of 35-36 inches. She was 5'6" and at her smallest weighed between 115-120 pounds. The BMI scale would indicate she was not considered overweight. Additionally, the size she wore then would be considered (now) a modern size of 2 or 4. She was tiny. Lets not kid ourselves.

The slimness craze has always existed. People have always wanted to be glamorous--to be attractive. The significant difference is that now there are more products be marketed to lose weight and get rid of wrinkles and magazines and the gossip culture that supplies photographs of celebrities in the day to day highlight people's weight changes more dramatically and people are encouraged to discuss weight in a way that never happened before. This includes the discussion of "anorexics" like Amy Winehouse and Nicole Richie to those we deem fat, like Kelly Osbourne or Kelly Clarkson.

Answer 7

Sizing has changed yesterdays size 12 is today's size 6

When I was 12 a 12 was 34-25-36-  today a size 6 is::

http://www.chadwicks.com/Help/Help_SizeC...

Today a size 12 is a size 18 of yesterday.

And lets look at Jayne Mansfield's daughter - Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order SVU.  She looks just as good as her mom.

Answer 8

Marilyn Monroe's waist was rumored to be 22 inches...find me a size 14 that is 22 inches.  If it makes you feel better...fine, but Marilyn was HEALTHY, unlike the majority of size 14's today.

Marilyn's size was a 14, the sizing has also changed since her time.  She was really about an 8.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

http://www.dietbites.com/Diet-Muse/32.ht...

However, I do agree that there is a problem in Hollywood, I am not sure anyone could deny it.  When an average woman looks fat compared to her counterparts it should be a huge wake up call.  While the entertainment industry has commented about this and said they have conserns as well, little has changed over the past two decades.

Answer 9

Yes, they were slim, but not skinny. They were slim with hourglass bodies and curves. Actresses would get this effect by wearing corsets and clothing that emphasized a small waist. Marilyn Monroe was not a modern size 14. Clothing sizes have changed over the years. At her largest, Marilyn Monroe was probably a modern size 8.

Nowadays, a lot of actresses look like prepubescent boys. They have bodies that are straight up and down. If they're not straight and boyish, they tend to be overly muscular, hard and masculine.