The Times They Were A-Changing

The Zona Gallery: Room 303

As late as the middle 1960s, it was an article of fashion faith that, "No lady leaves her house without a girdle." Yet by the end of the decade, this rule had been annulled. As the 1970s opened, word had spread across across the land: "The girdle is dead."

The actual transition took place over an amazingly short period, lasting roughly from 1967 through 1970. The dramatic shift can be traced to a unique conjunction of technological and cultural forces. The arrival of the miniskirt a year or two earlier led women to search for a more discreet and easily concealed style of underpinning than the traditional girdle-and-gartered-stocking combination. Soon, the development of pantyhose provided an alternative. At the same time, changing conceptions of woman's role led to re-examination of the emphasis traditionally placed on female appearance. As old assumptions were challenged, the girdle's shaping function became a special target of feminist scorn.

The images in this exhibit trace the efforts of manufacturers to come to grips with these trends.

As the makers of Lycra, the Dupont corporation had a vested interest in promoting foundation sales. Throughout the 1960's, their advertisements reflected prevailing attitudes.

Two early Sixties ads are confident- "Whatever your size, whatever your weight, you'll look better" in a girdle made from Lycra. After all, a lady always wears a girdle.

In 1966 (far left), one detects a subtle hint of ambivalence: their "Real Woman" is "...girdled, but who's to know?"

By 1969, Dupont was well aware of the handwriting on the wall. That year's "Form Persuaders" campaign was a rear-guard action aimed at convincing young women of the need for lightweight shaping garments. One wonders how many young ladies joined Dupont in classing themselves as "fanny girls," "bit-much-tummy girls," or "neither-fat-nor-thin girls."

"Imagine complete freedom from girdles and garters." "A bikini with legs." The development of pantyhose was an essential precursor to widespread rejection of the girdle, but the idea took time to catch on.

Though pantyhose did not reach wide acceptance until the late Sixties, examples appear in catalogues as early as 1960. (Far left: Sears, 1960; Alden's, 1960; middle, Glen Raven Panti-Legs, 1963.) The 1967 Round The Clock ad (near left) seems remarkably prescient: "Some of you may never wear anything else again."

With pantyhose universally accepted for so long, it's hard to remember there was a time when consumers were not completely convinced it was a good idea. Until manufacturers gained experience with the new technology, early pantyhose was markedly inferior to that sold today. Many women complained of bagging and poor fit.

Moreover, pantyhose was considerably more expensive than conventional stockings. The ultimate objection, heard time and again, called pantyhose wasteful: "You run one leg and the whole pair is ruined!" As prices dropped and pantyhose became a wardrobe staple, women accepted this drawback as an acceptable price to pay.

Even as pantyhose moved toward universal dominance, manufacturers experimented with alternatives that would eliminate garters but retain the perceived economy of individual stockings.
L-R: Beauty Mist, 1969; Burlington, 1969.

Advertisers were quick to quick to co-opt the rhetoric of the emerging womens' movement. Suddenly, the word "freedom" became the essential hallmark of an up-to-date foundation ad.

"Underwear is man's creation, not nature's. Nature intended a girl to move freely,"claims a 1969 ad for Warner's Junior Intimates. (Far left) Even brassieres seemed a threatened species for a while. "You don't have to wear bras- you're free." (Near left: Warners, 1969)

Offering women freedom, if only from garters, this advertisement takes aim at the "bag, sag, droop and drop" of early pantyhose. Lovable, 1969

The patent insincerity of these attempts to seem hip sometimes produced results that were nothing more than laughable. The efforts of these Berlei ads to evoke images of the era's student protests seem especially foolish today. L-R: 1968, 1969, 1969.

Few ads of the time would jar modern sensibilities more than this Bestform effort to buck the tide. "Freedom isn't always beautiful," it clucks. The accompanying cartoon depicts the disappointment of an ungirdled woman when two sidewalk loungers decline to ogle as she walks by. (Undated; late 1960s.)

Just a few years later, the girdle was roundly scorned. Rather than a fashion essential, it was now relegated to the role of corrective device for the figure-flawed. Even at that, the mere word had such a negative image that advertisers disavowed it.

This 1977 Sears ad is quick to proclaim that the Pretty Natural shaper is "not a girdle in the traditional sense."

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The Image Gallery is presented in hopes of preserving a small bit of a vanishing cultural resource. All material is posted for educational purposes only.

If you have a secret stash of treasured girdle images, please consider sharing with others... contact Virginian for details.