Twiggy Research Paper

Australian fashion during the 1960s was strongly influenced by Britain and America. Australia was introduced to the fashion changes through television, movies, magazines, advertisements and international popular models. Due to the increase of international popular models appearing on television especially

The fashion industry plays a huge role in portraying bad images of ideal beauty, which in turn affects today’s society perception of their own body image. Not only are women affected by what is seen and heard about how the perfect body should appear, children of young ages are now feeling insecure and obsessed with their bodies before they reach teenage years. This ‘ideal image’ the fashion industry continues to enforce only focuses on very thin models who seem to be in shape and are very healthy. Furthermore, many people think of the influence from the fashion industry as being human representations (models). Because of the rising problem with the image of beauty within the fashion industry, it is shown that even mannequins and non-human representations (mannequins, dolls, photoshopping) of bodies play a significant role in women’s body image; which causes problems to the individual. (Anshutz & Engels, 2010). Body image and self-satisfaction, eating disorders and non-human representations all can cause harm to the individual, if prolonged.

Aspiration to venture out into other industries "Your can't be a clothes hanger for your entire life" is what Twiggy when she retired after four years of modeling. After that she embarked on an award-winning acting and singing career, she won two Golden Globe Awards for her work.

Clara Bow - She was the very first “IT” girl. She was a popular actress in the 1920s who showcased the flapper style in her iconic makeup, heart shaped lips, and sensual clothing.

In Australia, the fashion of the 1960s emulated the political and cultural changes at the time. This fashion revolution was youth driven and showed their rejection of social standards. For women, the mini skirt came into trend, introduced by fashion icon Twiggy (Leslie Hornby). This above-the-knee skirt came into fashion in a revolt against people telling women how to express themselves and their bodies that came with the womens rights movement and the introduction of the pill. Men wore tunics, capes and more feminine clothing as pants became tighter and they dawned silk scarfs. This shift from masculine clothing to dabbling in the side of feminine, was because of the changing idea of gender and sexuality. Men also tried to recreate the look of the Beatles; in sharp and clean suits due the bands popularity at the time. Nearing the end of the 1960s, hippie fashion came into style. This era of fashion was dominated by bright, swirling colours, tie-dye, paisley prints, loose fitting clothing, flowers, peace signs, etc. This change in fashion was in response to the Vietnam war. People wore their clothes as a political statement, showing their embracement towards love and freedom.

Queen Elizabeth was one of the biggest impacts on fashion in that time. She was mostly the one who set the trends. She also determined the laws about fashion. Many times people would just copy what she would wear. She impacted both women and men's clothing. "Naturally, what the Queen wore greatly influenced those close to her, her ladies in waiting wore her old dresses; other women strove to imitate the style of the Queen and her ladies" (Leed). In the Elizabeth Era the designs and trends came from Queen Elizabeth. Many people looked up to her as a role model for fashion and considered her the image of

Coco Chanel was one of the most influential fashion designers of the Twentieth Century and she was the first significant female fashion designer. The fashion world was impacted by Chanel’s phoenix like return to fashion after her retirement in 1953. Chanel introduced men and women to practical yet elegant styles. Although Chanel has been deceased for forty-one years her undeniable influence on fashion and women’s roles in society will be remembered for generations to come. Coco Chanel was an iconic designer and continues to inspire men and women around the world.

In her prime, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 16, but by our standards today she would be anywhere from a size 00 to an 8. Clearly, since the 1950s many things have changed; science, medicine, technology, but more specifically, body image and shape. The changes in Monroe’s size are a clear testament to the way body image and shape are constantly evolving in America. As miniscule as it may seem, body image and shape affects health, sizing, and changes overtime.

This is best illustrated in her ability to make fashion timeless” (“Six of America’s Leading Designers Create One-Of-A-Kind Gowns Inspired by Grace, Princess of Monaco to Celebrate her Iconic Style and Legacy to the Fashion World 1). People from all around the world still copy her looks today because they never go out of style. Six of America’s top designers are taking an iconic outfit and creating a one of a kind look all from inspiration from her looks in honor of her legacy. Grace Kelly obtained a classic college girl style; she wore basic pieces but made sure they all fit perfectly “her style was defined mostly by what she didn’t wear-- ‘too blatant curves, too-tight dresses, too-lavish furs, or jewelry noteworthy only for its abundance” (Ball 1). Her simple pieces were out of the ordinary at this time; the fact that she was a Hollywood it-girl and Princess of Monaco who did not wear outrageous articles of clothing made her different-and the public loved it. Furthermore, the press ate up everything about her, when she wore something plain and simple to meet the first lady, the world could not get enough of her simple style. She single handedly changed the fashion trends of her era “...her rigorous fashion restraint frequently sent the newsprint world into a tizzy. When she wore a plain green dress to the white house in 1961, it was headline news, the headline being THE GODDESSES MEET” (Ball 1). Kelly inspired others because her elegance and poise radiated through her style. Her signature white gloves and oversized saucer hat made her modest and classic. One of Kelly’s largest fashion accomplishments is when one of the most well known designers in the world-Hermes-named a bag after her. Her iconic large bag she used to conceal her baby bump was named the ‘Kelly’. Besides from her stunning appearance Grace

Since women started to become more valued in the workforce, they also wanted to reward themselves by expressing how they felt through style. The booming designer of the time, Christian Dior, really helped women find their identify through simple fabrics along with tasteful and simple designs. Dior took over the closets of all women from the 1940’s all the way through the mid 1950’s. The waist became the focal point of the human figure and the bustlines started to raise and take shape. The shoulders stayed soft with rich fabrics and colors and the length of the dresses and skirts became effortlessly long and full of life. The most iconic women of this time that really took a grasp of this era was Marilyn Monroe.

Most Western societies experience an enormous amount of pressure on individuals to conform and achieve the thin-ideal. This influence by mass-media affects just about anyone including males and females, adults, adolescents, and children. In the early 20th century, women idolized movie icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Camille Clifford. Around 1900s, Camille Clifford started the trend where the standards of beauty were set around 140 pounds, at 5’4” feet tall. Back then, the ideal female body is by having a smaller mid-section (e.g. hourglass ideal/corsets). Marilyn Monroe’s diminutive waist and ostensibly colossal bust line exasperate female fans to engage more on physical activities. The outburst on slender-looking portrayal of body-image

People have always said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but somehow media, specifically advertisement companies, have grabbed ahold of the definition of beauty and what beauty itself should look like. In the mid-1960s a model named Lesley Hornby, nicknamed Twiggy, became a very popular celebrity. Although Twiggy was only a teenager, she was a huge hit in the modeling industry; she was very tall and extremely slim. Her body resembled a twig; hence her nickname. She achieved international popularity leading some to believe that she was the start of a super model trend: tall and thin. Twiggy was very lanky, but her body was completely natural, unlike today where many of the photos of model’s bodies are being created artificially and

In the 1950s, excessively feminine silhouettes were celebrated thus accentuating curves, full bosoms and narrow waists was a prevailing way for women to dress. Nevertheless, with her sphere of influence on women, Audrey Hepburn introduced an alternative to this limited standard of how women—through various aspects of dressing and behaving—should be (Keogh 1). Some of the popular stars who eventually became sex symbols in the period were Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly. Hepburn’s physique however, was totally different from these women. She did not have a big bosom or a bottom. She was not curvy. Unlike Audrey Hepburn’s

It wasn’t until the late 1960’s that critics began “comparing Barbie to a Playboy Bunny and calling her a corrupter of youth” (”Bad Girl” 3). One woman commented, “She’s an absurd representation of what a woman should be” (“Bad Girl” 3)-–and that’s exactly what many others thought she was, too. With such impossible real-life measurements of 5’9” tall, 36”-18”-33” bust, waist, and hip (Benstock and Ferriss 35), it’s easy to see why mothers across the country banned the doll from their homes and refused to let their impressionable young daughters be influenced by a piece of painted plastic (Bestock and Ferriss 35). Since dolls have often been responsible for teaching children what society deems important or beautiful, many concerned parents wondered why Mattel did not design a doll that taught more valuable lessons than dressing pretty and being dangerously skinny (Edut 19)? Who said a runway model was best suited for teaching a child what is beautiful anyway? “According to a Mattel spokesperson, a Kate Moss figure is better suited for today’s fashions” (Edut 19), and that is one reason why Barbie must be so disproportional. Actually, another reason for Barbie’s anorexic figure can be traced back long before Kate Moss and the fashion runway. Barbie was

Additionally, the average bust-to-waist ratio of actresses from the 1960s and 1970s was significantly smaller than that of actresses from the 1940s and 1950s. Similar results were reported by Morris, Cooper, and Cooper (1989) in their study of British fashion models. Taken together, the findings of Garner