I have written elsewhere that,
As late as the middle 1960s, it was an article of fashion faith that, "No lady leaves her house without a girdle." Yet within the span of a few short years, this rule was annulled. As the 1960s became the 1970s, word went out across the land: "The girdle is dead."
The images thumbnailed below illustrate the amazing speed of this transition: in less than four years, the fashion advice presented in several American women's magazines changed dramatically.
Prologue: 1950
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A 1950 issue of Good Housekeeping presents an elaborate chart showing
the proper foundation style for each figure type and occasion: "The
basis of fashion is the figure. It need not be perfect, but it must be
trim and controlled."
This attitude held sway, essentially unchallenged, until well into the 1960s.
1966: Artful Underpinnings
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Sixteen years later, little seems to have changed. Firmly constructed garments with substantial shaping power remain the the rule.
Note that the long-leg panty girdle has achieved complete dominance; all but one of the ten shapers shown are of this style. Good Housekeeping.
1967: Underscores For New Silhouettes
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Though one garter belt and one "boy-leg" style are shown in this autumn 1967 feature, there is still little hint that the reign of the long-leg panty is threatened. Good Housekeeping.
1968: Summer Shapings
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This 1968 feature trumpets the "softened silhouette," but girdles are still paneled, and even as pantyhose sales increase, gartered stockings are still very much in evidence. Ladies' Home Journal. |
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1968: The New Understatements
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In 1968, the teenaged girl's Bible, Seventeen, announced, "The future holds fewer layers to wear beneath." Figure control is still essential, but innovative combination garments include bra-slips, waist-cinchers with petticoat flounces, and a variety of lightweight all-in-ones. For the first time, control briefs are described as useful for wearing over pantyhose. |
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1969: Barely-There Underwear
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What has happened? Even in staid Good Housekeeping, the underfashions presented in 1969 are completely unlike those shown a mere three years earlier. "Wispy slips, bras, and barely-there, body-skimming suits fit with the ease of a second skin and mold the figure with just a whisper of control." The body-stocking makes an appearance, as does a baggy, see-through mesh body-suit. Though it would take a few more years for all age groups to accept the change, the transition process has essentially reached a point of no return. |
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To see how advertisements reflected
this process of change,
visit Room 303 of the Gallery.
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