The 1940's was an exciting time for the world which saw itself in the midst of the second world war. America in particular felt much of this excitement as they fought not only in mainland Europe, but also against as Japanese side which launched attacked upon one of their most prestigious Naval bases at Pearl Harbor. During this volition climate, beauty was seen as a patriotic duty as much as for self-esteem. While the men were away fighting on the battlefields, women assumed the roles in factories and as support for the soldiers. They were often depicted in propaganda with perfect hair, often assuming a style that became known as the "victory rolls", and bright red lipstick while in a uniform, either of the military or factory variety. …show more content…
Lipstick was viewed as a simple way to maintain the feminine pin-up qualities women were expected to maintain, while also completing the dirtier jobs that had been left vacant by the men. Another important tool for beauty during this period were nylon stockings. These sheer undergarments gave colour and protection to women's legs while they were exposed in dresses and skirts. As the war edged on though, the materials necessary to make the stockings became rationed for the war effort, so women had to resort to other methods to maintain the aesthetic beauty qualities of their legs. Some women would paint their legs or even draw on seams to make it appear as though they were wearing the garments. The popular hairstyle of the time, the victory rolls, proved to be not only fashionable, looking aesthetically pleasing with two pinned curls of hair at either side of the head, but also proved to be functional as well. While the women were busy working, they needed to keep their hair out of their eyes and face. By pinning the front hair back upon their heads in these rolls, it prevented their hair from falling into their eyes and hindering their work, while still maintaining the classic pin-up image that was culturally expected upon
To start the dressing process, Victorian women had so many layers of clothing it all had to be placed upon them one at a time. The first layers consisted of undergarments such as items women of today would call underwear and socks. However, the Victorian women wore drawers as modern women wear underwear. Stockings; usually knit, cotton or silk, covered the lower leg with a garter to keep them from falling down the leg or revealing any flesh of the lower leg (Mitchell 17). Upon the upper part of the body a Chemise was worn to cover the skin below the corset...
These were the women who posed as men, so they could fight in the war, however this was not taken lightly. Berkin states that “women whose sex was discovered quickly were more likely to be punished severely, while women who saw combat before their sex was revealed sometimes drew praise”(60). For example, Margaret Corbin’s behavior was seen as nontraditional back then. Her husband was apart of the army and Margaret wanted to be by his side. She dressed in men’s clothing and at the heat of the moments stepped in for him when he got injured. Women were meant to stay at the house to cook or clean, not to fight in wars. Now, thanks to women like Margaret Corbin, women are fighting in wars overseas and allowed to be apart of the military or army without punishment. Women now have the right to be apart of any profession they choose and even have the same roles and responsibilities as
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
...d women’s fashion to break free from convention. Bras and corsets were seen as symbols of oppression and conformity. They were discarded by many women as many new fads appeared,(). Women also exhibited their newfound freedom by wearing traditional male clothing such as baggy trousers, men's jackets, vests, over-sized shirts, ties and hats.
They were the grease in the gears of war, the individuals working behind the scenes so that the men would be prepared, ready to fight with functioning weapons and operational gear. Many women decided not to stay at home and, rather, accompany their husbands or male relatives with the army. They "traveled with the army to sew, nurse, and wash clothes (Volo 170)." Again, the women did the dirty work to ensure the men were always relatively ready for battle.... ... middle of paper ... ...'
Starting with the early years of lipstick, royalty wore it as a sign of hierarchy, while the middle class was never seen wearing it (Brown). Lipstick was different however, it was only made of natural ingredients (Brown). That was not necessarily a good thing. Surprisingly, back then some ingredients were poisonous and harmful in lipstick, and no one
Sarwer, D. B., Grossbart, T. A., & Didie, E. R. (2003). Beauty and society. Seminars in
In the early 1900’s the ideal woman would be dressed with long dresses and would normally have long hair. Several events such as World War I, in July of 1914, changed women’s role in society. They were not only taking care of the children and the household but they were also taking the role of a man. As men went to war, women replaced them in factories. This caused woman to be more independent. Women realized that having a job was something that could be done; their sex didn’t restrict them from taking this action. This was extremely important as it lead to women being more confident and capable. In the 1920s young women began to change. They went from having long dresses and long hair, to a short haircut and wearing dresses that were above the knee. Women developed a greater interest in looking attractive. According to Russell L. Johnson, the beauty industry grew rapidly as cosmetic expenses sky rocketed from 750 million to 2 billion dollars (Johnson 3). This was one of the causes of the sexual revolution. Women became “ less formal but more expressive (Mag...
uncovered the shoulders revealing lavish necklaces. The goal of women’s clothing was to be elegant and full of character at the same time (Middle Ages Ladies dresses).
Lipstick is an essential to most women when it comes to appearance because it simply adds the extra visually appealing factor. Lipstick is also used to moisturize the lips, keeping them soft and reducing dryness. Little do most women know about the toxics in the cosmetic because then the cosmetic would be avoided by some if not most. According to pamf.org, a teenager uses 15-25 cosmetics in a day.
The Victorians' obsession with physical appearance has been well documented by scholars. This was a society in which one's clothing was an immediate indication of what one did for a living (and by extension, one's station in life). It was a world, as John Reed puts it, "where things were as they seemed" (312).
Uniforms were everywhere as women did jobs once done by men and every job had a distinct uniform. Before the Great War being in service as servants was the usual employment for most women as housemaids, cooks or seamstresses. Choice had opened up in the last two decades and slowly some had become shop workers at the new emerging department stores and the more technically minded had become stenographers or telephonists. Women began to seriously participate in sports and needed clothes to move
I would like to begin with the fact that women have always been known to dedicate their time to beauty. Those who are devoted to their appearance most often believe that beauty brings power, popularity, and success. Women believe this, because they grow up reading magazines that picture beautiful women in successful environments; not to mention they are popular models and world famous individuals. Beautiful women are no longer just a priority for most advertising, but we have become a walking target for the working class employers. It is documented that better-looking attorneys earn more than others after five years of practice, which was an effect that grew with experience (Biddle, 172). We cannot overlook the fact that it is always the most popular and most beautiful girl who becomes homecoming-queen or prom-queen. While these are possible positive effects of the "beauty myth," the negative results of female devotion to beauty undercut this value. These effects are that it costs a lot of money, it costs a lot of time, and in the long run, it costs a lot of pain.
Pre-war fashion was significantly different than during and after war. In the early 1930's, female fashion was largely considered to be elegant and smart. Women wore small hats and gloves, as well as long,slim dresses and coats to help them appear taller than they were, ' dresses were slim and straight, being sometimes wider at the shoulders than at the hips'(Laver 2012, p.243). This was both in fashion magazines and for modern women of the time. By the mid 30's, fashion was using patterns and bolder colours. Similar to the style of the roaring 20's, women continued to wear stiletto's. However, by 1937, the war begun and elements of fashion was beginning to be considered for other uses, this included, cotton being used for parachutes. During this time, as men were out at war, a gap was left in the factories and required workers, which women then filled. Fashion for women at this time began to shift, women were unable to acquire stockings due to the difficulty of obtaining the material, at the same tim...
With the rise of colonialism and the consequent subjugation of people, beauty standards were introduced to