Fifty years doesn't seem like a very long time,
but it's enough time for things to have drastically changed, including perceived
beauty. From rising hemlines to androgynous looks, the things men found attractive
dramatically changed as the world moved into the second half of the twentieth century.
Hair dye was not always considered entirely acceptable, but that started to change half a
century ago. Part of the stigma came about because it was considered vain and disrespectful. But
it also had to do with safety concerns surrounding the chemicals used to color hair.
As the decades passed, the introduction of home dye kits made colored hair more common,
and by the 1970s, nearly half the women in America were reaching for these products.
Hair dye company Clairol marketed blonde hair as attractive and desirable starting in the 1950s,
pushing the color with ads oozing sex appeal. Clairol even brought us the phrase "blondes
have more fun." It's no surprise that by the time the 1970s rolled around,
many were opting to go blonde. "Those are skin tight.
How do you get into those pants, baby?" "You can start by buying me a drink."
Many of the most admired women of the era like Farrah Fawcett rocked blonde strands.
Other notable blondes of the time include Debbie Harry,
Olivia Newton-John, Meryl Streep, Peggy Lipton, and Joni Mitchell.
Women looking to catch a man's eye 50 years ago were likely to take the
tweezers to their eyebrows. That's because thin eyebrows were very much “in” back then.
Thin eyebrows as a beauty standard didn't start 50 years ago, though.
The reigning eyebrow look that decade was actually a vintage style that called to
mind the dainty eyebrows of the 1920s and the 1930s. Thin eyebrows first came in vogue in the
20th century along with the rise of the film industry, as they were more visible on camera.
While fashion-forward women of the 1940s and 1950s tended to prefer a bolder eyebrow,
the 1960s ushered in an era of experimentation in which some people went so far as to shave off
their eyebrows and draw them back on with a brow pencil. By the 1970s, thin was back in, and stars
like Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Pam Grier, and Aretha Franklin rocked the thin brows that decade.
Lips have mesmerized men since time immemorial, and many men 50 years ago found
large ones to be particularly appealing. Their attraction to big lips wasn't just driven by
the fashion of the era. It’s basic biology, as full lips signal both youth and vitality.
The yearning for pouty lips was nothing new 50 years ago. But it was a change from
the dominant lip look of the 1950s, which placed more importance on having a fuller
lower lip. The following decade saw more emphasis on both large upper and lower lips.
Advancing technology led to some people seeking out some pretty scary methods to achieve the look.
In the 1960s, silicone was briefly used as a lip filler but wasn't particularly safe. By the 1970s,
silicone was out and some doctors instead used bovine collagen to give women larger lips.
Sex symbols of the day embodied the big-lipped ideal, with Bianca Pérez-Mora Macias, who
was married to Mick Jagger in the 1970s, being the reigning queen.
Athletic women were "in" at the end of the 1960s, but not for the reason that
you might think. Athletics were viewed as a way for women to maintain "attractive"
figures. Women became more active in sports in the 1960s, especially in high schools and colleges,
although women's sports were not considered to be on par with men's sports.
A woman with an athletic physique was considered attractive, but female athletes had a long way to
go to be accepted in society. It wasn't until 1972 that the U.S. Congress passed Title IX,
which helped secure funding for women's sports. The first female athlete to appear on the cover
of Sports Illustrated, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, didn't do so until 1987. While female athletes
today are considered strong and capable role models, the female athletes of the 1960s were
largely viewed as hobbyists whose pastimes were only indulged in order to help them remain slim.
For a time, it looked like fuller figures would be, if not the dominant ideal of beauty,
at least an accepted standard. In the 1950s and early 1960s, voluptuous women
like Marilyn Monroe were cultural icons. Still, according to writer Sarah Grogan in Body Image:
Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women and Children, quote, "there was also a significant
move toward slimness." As the decade progressed, the slim trend became more pronounced, becoming:
"particularly acute...when the fashion model Twiggy became the role model for
a generation of young women." As time went on, Grogan wrote,
quote, "models became thinner and thinner." As models became thinner, curves became less
desirable. It was in the late 1960s when the obsession with eliminating cellulite began.
Linda Przybyszewski wrote in The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish
that at this time, quote, "curvaceous women were passed over in favor of underweight teenagers."
The desire for flatter chests correlated with an obsession for smaller butts as well.
One woman who was written about in Vogue magazine in the late 1960s:
"managed to reduced her 39-inch hips down to 34 inches through exercise, 'standing
correctly,' and using 'a special rolling pin.'" Such regimens were commonplace in the late 1960s.
The desire for more boyish figures was not entirely to please men or to conform
to fashion. Battleground: The Media, edited by Robin Andersen and Jonathan Alan Gray, noted that:
"the changing shape of women's bodies has in many ways served to reflect larger cultural values."
Throughout history, quote, "a thin, straight figure was prized" at times
"when women were striving to demonstrate their equality."
In Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century, Akiko Fukai wrote that:
"the young found that displaying their physique was the most effective means of setting themselves
apart from the older generation." The miniskirt came into vogue as,
quote, "bare legs...developed through various conceptual stages in the 1960s."
"There's a very famous clip of me walking down fifth avenue in the shortest skirt
that you can imagine." "How did you do that?!"
"That's how I dressed!" As hemlines rose, more attention was
paid to the length and shape of a woman's legs. In Women of the 1960s: More Than Mini Skirts, Pills
and Pop Music, author Sheila Hardy wrote that many women felt they, quote, "did not have the legs for
a miniskirt." The emphasis 1960s fashion placed on women's legs also influenced shoe styles.
Tall, pointed boots came into fashion, off-setting the short skirts of the era.
The rise of the miniskirt meant that women felt the pressure to put their best leg forward. By
the mid-1960s, a new trend was emerging: Leg makeup. Makeup had been used on legs before,
perhaps most notably during World War II when a shortage of stockings propelled women
to draw on stocking seams with eyeliner to make it look like their legs weren't
bare. The leg makeup of the 1960s however, was primarily used to cover up flaws that were now
exposed thanks to the shorter hemlines of the era. Women would carefully apply makeup
to their legs to cover up blemishes before putting on hosiery. Bruises, scars, and other
imperfections were covered up with cosmetics, and then further concealed with stockings.
The use of leg makeup shows just how conflicted women in this era were. The women's liberation
movement was empowering females, and women were beginning to embrace their bodies,
but many of them still felt the pressure to conform to society's beauty standards.
Coinciding with the preference for more boyish figures was the rise of unisex clothing and
androgynous styles. This echoed a similar trend from the 1920s, when, quote, "androgyny [began
to be] associated with the search for greater independence for women," as written by Rebecca
Arnold in Fashion, Desire and Anxiety: Image and Morality in the 20th Century. Arnold wrote that
the rise of androgyny in the 1960s helped to: “denote freedoms gained and the rejection of
a preceding claustrophobic femininity." Perhaps even more interesting is that
this inclination towards androgyny was also adopted by men. For a brief time,
unisex was everywhere. Indeed, Everett Mattlin, even wrote in the Chicago Tribune that,
quote, "the whole male-female relationship is confused." Traditional gender roles were beginning
to evolve at this time, which Mattlin believed could lead to a, quote, "healthier climate."
Farrah Fawcett's blonde hair was always styled in a feathered cut in the 1970s,
a look that Redbook wrote, quote, "essentially defined beauty in the 1970s." Even 50 years
later, when many people think of the era, they think of Fawcett's iconic look.
Women looking to imitate Fawcett's lusted-after locks weren't the only
ones to adopt this hairstyle, though. Many men also wore feathered hairstyles
in an example of the androgynous look that was considered particularly attractive in that era.
While maintaining the soft curls of a feathered hairstyle could be a lot of work for those who
weren't blessed with wavy hair, the look wasn't meant to look artificial. Instead,
it was part of the time period's commitment to a no-fuss, all-natural look.
The natural look of 50 years ago wasn't isolated to hairstyles. A fresh face was also considered to
be particularly appealing. Natural didn't mean going about with a bare face though. And women
put a lot of effort into getting the perfect, sun-kissed glow. Fake-tanning was popular,
and while most women skipped foundation, they would use bronzer for that bit of shimmer.
Makeup colors tended to be more about enhancing the natural color of one's features rather than
making them pop, with pearlescent colors dominating the color palette.
The push towards a more natural look was primarily due to social issues,
so women sporting the style would have been particularly attractive to activists of the day.
Per Elle magazine: "The urge to pare back
can be credited to the cultural rise of hippies and anti-Vietnam War feelings,
the women's liberation movement [...] and an interest in all that was natural."
There was also a growing awareness of the dangers of pollution, which meant that,
quote, "cosmetics were at odds with the earthy beauty ideal being celebrated."
The suppression of women's curves led to the popularity of what critics and fans alike called
a "prepubescent look." Lithe, young-looking Lolita types like Twiggy dominated the fashion world.
This look of exaggerated youthfulness implied that maturity was a dirty word and a sign of an
early death. It sent the message that aging was something to be avoided for as long as possible.
The 1960s have today become a symbol for the social conflict between the old and the new.
The "Lolita look" embodied the spirit of the era, representing youth and vigor.
A lot of people envision the 1960s as a decade-long booze-fest where day drinking,
especially at work, was the norm. While this is partially true, it was far more
acceptable for men to indulge in multiple alcoholic beverages each day than women.
"We drink because it's good. Because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar.
Because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do."
More and more women were moving away from conventional gender stereotypes,
but women who drank frequently were seen as decidedly unfeminine. A glass of wine
with dinner or a cocktail on the weekend was acceptable, but getting drunk was not.
Warning women not to drink too much was not just a societal pressure, but one that was
backed up by public service announcements of the day as well as the mainstream media.
The Saturday Evening Post warned in 1962, quote, "People think of the woman drunk as an old hag."
"Among men, heavy drinking is often taken as a sign of virility, and the phrase,
'Drunk as a lord,' is a tribute. No one ever said approvingly, 'She was drunk as a lady.'"
That sentiment was still commonplace at the end of the decade.
Drinking in excess may have been taboo for women looking to attract a man,
but smoking was considered attractive. While a link between smoking and lung
cancer had been established years before, the practice was still widespread. In 1964,
the surgeon general warned that cigarette smoking was a health hazard of sufficient
importance in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action.
Despite such warnings, smoking was largely considered to be glamorous and sophisticated.
The tobacco industry targeted women in the 1960s, taking advantage of the growing
feminist movement by portraying smoking as the pinnacle of gender equality. Virginia Slims
were launched as a women's cigarette in 1968, with the slogan "You've come a long way baby!"
Other cigarette ads from the late 1960s show young, attractive women partaking in what is
shown as an elegant pastime, conveying the message that women who smoked were refined and sexy.
By the late 1960s, more women were working than ever. While they were making great economic
strides, working women faced a certain stigma. It was far more acceptable for single women to
work than married women, as a woman's primary duty was still expected to be to her family.
In 1967, just 44 percent of married American couples lived in dual-income households,
compared to more than half of married couples today. Working wives and mothers were thought
to destabilize home life and their families. History professor Stephanie Coontz told the
Harvard Business Review that middle-class women were the most stigmatized. If they did choose
to enter the workforce they were expected to wait until their children had grown. She said:
"And these women — it is hard for modern people to understand just how insecure,
how depressed, how low the self-esteem was of these stay-at-home moms in those days."
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