This ad from 1934 (see here for full size, and also this ad from the 60’s) is a reminder of how long the media has been in the business of convincing women to change their bodies.
It’s also a reminder that we can couch defenses of the current fat-hating trend in society in health terms all we want, but when it comes down to it - it’s about fashion. Curves are out, thin is in.



Digg
two comments
Wow.
And this sentence from the 1960s ad - Helps fight fatigue, low resistance, sleeplessness and nervousness that so often accompany underweight - LOL, it's always framed as being about a woman's HEALTH! Ffs.
Posted by Thene
August 16, 2008, 3:21 PM
The after image in this add looks much the same as the after images in the diet adds of this day and age.
Posted by anonymous
August 17, 2008, 9:01 PM
Leave a comment
This blog post is older than 90 days old. All comments submitted regarding this post will be automatically held for review by the editors before posting. Your comment will not appear on the site until it has been approved.
Our comment policy
Shameless prides itself on the diversity of opinions expressed by our writers, and we encourage and appreciate different points of view. Our intention at Shameless is to foster community and to maintain a safe and positive blogging environment; we do not consider it our duty to give a voice to anybody with an opinion.
Discussion on this site is moderated. We will delete comments that:
(We get to decide what's discriminatory, hateful, attacking, or inflammatory).
In some cases, we will cap off comments on a discussion when we feel they are spiralling out of control and fostering an unwelcoming space for bloggers and readers. Comments will be closed by the Web Editor, unless the post is by the Web Editor, in which case the Editor in Chief will close them.
If your comments repeatedly make the same point, they may be deleted. This also applies to comments made by multiple members of the same organization.
Your comments should be about the topic of the post, not its writer—although we certainly encourage praise for our writers, if you want to say something nice.