The 1950s brought so many new things and women embraced new styles, as they were just catching their first breath of fresh air, tranquility and peace after so many years of fear and poverty of experiencing the Second World War and The Great Depression. Now they could afford all the styles and they embraced both the comfort that came along with their emancipation in the war years and the glamour and extravagance of the previous decades.
Embracing The ‘Housewife’ Role
Family was now the center of everything and being a lovely housewife was a dream for most of the women. Of course, television and mass-media encouraged this happy and perfect lifestyle as the world needed to procreate after the war.
The New Look
The New Look by Dior created at the end of the 1940s became hugely popular and every retailer could copy it and sell it in his shop so people all around the world started doing everything in The New Look: going to school, getting married and going out with friends.
But there was one woman who didn’t really agree to this look, so she came out of her exile and stated that women need practicality and she created her famous boxy suits that became popular immediately. This woman was Coco Chanel!
By the end of the 1950s, every woman had both looks in their wardrobe, of course not the original ones but replicated pieces from their local shop. Few people could afford the original Dior for example, like Evita Peron who was a very popular customer of Christian Dior.
The Body Ideal
The body ideal of the 1950s was pointy breasts, narrow waist and wide hips and the one who embodied this ideal and became the no. 1 sex symbol of all time was, well… Marilyn Monroe!
There was a famous cone bra worn by Madonna in the 90s, designed by Gaultier that first appeared in the 1950s. This perfect bra highlighted the pointy breasts, but why the cone shape? Check out our full episode about the 1950s to find out why!
