T1960s Diet and Exercise Fads

DIET AND FITNESS DURING THE MAD MEN ERA

The 1960s were an ever-changing time to be a woman — body image included. 


Until Twiggy hit the scene in the late '60s, women with bodies like Mad Men's Joan Holloway were prized for their ample bosoms and curvaceous frames. Matthew Weiner,Mad Men creator, even told the show's actresses to stop working out so they would look more realistic to the era.


But the '60s was not without its lose-weight-and-look-great diet fads: it was the time of fake sugar, a housewife that would become a weight-loss icon, and more.

Welcome to the World, Weight Watchers

In 1961, Jean Nidetch, a 214- pound housewife has invited friends to discuss the best way to lose weight and give each other support on the journey to do so. Weight watchers went public in 1963, 400 hopeful individuals were waiting in line to join the meeting.
Even til now, celebrities like Jennifer Hudson, Lynn Regrave and Jenny McCathy have appeaed as Weight Watchers spokespeople.

Jiggle the Fat Away

In 1966, there were hot pants sauna suits and wooden roller machines that will help in breaking down fat, and the ever-popular belt massager was supposed to jiggle the fat away.

The Rise of Artificial Sweeteners

During the 60s, it was the rise of Artificial sweeteners. In 1964, Diet Pepsi was introduced and Sweet' N Low gave everyday sugar a run for its money. Pepsi's first attempt at a diet cola was even a client of the fictional Mad Men ad house Sterling Cooper. 
Diet Delight was also a popular low-cal fruit cocktail, which used artificial sweetener cyclamate. However, the product was pulled from the grocery shelves about 7 million cases, when cyclamate was shown to cause bladder cancer in lab rats. Nevertheless, the sweetener is still used in 55 countries.

A Liquid Lunch With a Side of Beef

Looks like all those martini lunches at Sterling Cooper were just a well-meaning path to weight loss. Before there was the Atkins Diet, there was The Drinking Man's Diet. One of the original high-protein, low-carb regimens, the 1964 fad diet proposed that eating "man-type" food (think steak, lobster, and squab) would lead to weight loss. And to top it off, wash it down with a martini, or Don Draper's favorite, an old-fashioned! As long as carbs were kept under 60 grams per day, authors claimed that the weight would melt off. They failed to mention, however, how unhealthy a diet of fat and alcohol can be. The diet took off and 2.4 million copies were sold in just two years.
From the book:

"Did you ever hear of a diet which was fun to follow? A diet which would let you have two martinis before lunch, and a thick steak generously spread with Sauce Béarnaise, so that you could make your sale in a relaxed atmosphere and go back to the office without worrying about having gained so much as an ounce?"

Let's Twist Again

Too lazy to move on your own? Try the Trim Twist; instead of grooving on your own two feet, you stand on a rotating board that moves as you twist your midsection. Every minute spent on the Trim Twist is a minute whittling down that belly area.


References:
Foley, M. (2012) 1960s Diet and Exercise Fads- Diet and Fitness during the mad men era. 27 June 2012. Retrieve from http://www.fitsugar.com/1960s-Diet-Exercise-Fads-9139395?slide=5

To my surprise, people in the 1960s had already started being so desperate in obtaining the so-called ideal body at that time. Diet drinks, lost weight ads or even devices had been so popular during that period of time. The information has definitely reflected the perception of the people in the 1960s on the body image. However, it seems like it is based on the people in the city, either upper class or middle class. I am not too sure whether does it relate to Bohemian body image.

Boho Jewelry

Many styles of today has incorporate a bit of Bohemian look that combine feathers, wood, leather accents and big bold designs which seem to fit into this look.

Bohemian known as 'Boho' in short. It refers to an ethnic look that combines clothing and accessories similar to those worn by native people from around the word.

Bohemian style jewelry is very organic, with wood jewelry and genuine stones being the prominent materials used in the jewelry.

Bohemian reflects free thinking, organic, individuals.

Bohemian fashion trend is currently experiencing a rebirth, many popular Hollywood stars adore it

Reference:
Speak, C. (2012) Bohemian Jewelry. 27 June 2012. Retrieve from http://blog.rubylane.com/Bohemian-Jewelry

The fashion style of "boho-chic" in the early 21st century was thought Ironic by the "Sunday Times" and they said that only that a fashionable girls wore ruffly floral skirt to be look like Bohemian, Nomadic, spirited and non-Bourgeois" comparing to a gypsy girls themselves. these are sexy and delightful females and they don't give a hoot for fashion by contrast. 

Female Bohemians in the early 20th century "Gypsy Look" was a returning theme, and popularized by among many Dorothy "Dorelia" McNeil (1881-1969), she was the muse and lover of the painter named Augustus John (1878-1961), with full skirts and bright colors has made the so called "Dorelia Look" rise.

The Slade School of Arts in London adopted the short bobbled hair that was often a bohemian trait. several years before film actress Collen Moorand Louise Brooks has become associated with it in the mid 1920's. this style was plainly recognizable on the self portrait of Dora Carrington (1916) who had entered the Slade in (1910).

In the late 1960s Journalist Bob Stanley remarked that the "boho-chic" was never entirely out of fashion, they just need a new and modern angle to make it de jour. in this manner the feature of hippie fashion return at different stages during the ensuing forty years. In the mid 1980s the variations of the short and fundamentally non-Bohemian rah-rah skirt were matched with leather or denim to create a look with some bohemian features.

In the late 1990s the term "hippie chick" was used to Tom Ford's collection for the Italian house of Gucci. among the other influences, these drew the style, popular in retrospect of Talitha Getty (1971) the actress wife of John Paul Getty and Step Grandfather of Dorelia McNeil, who represented the most famous Photograph of her Husband taken by Patrick Lichfield in Marrakesh, morocco in 1969 reintroduce the influx of hippies into Marrakesh in 1968.


Reference:
Mc Flaire, J. (2009) History of Bohemian Style I Top Street Fashion 2009. 26 Jun 2012. Retrieve from http://onlinefashionistas.blogspot.com/2009/08/history-of-bohemian-style-top-spring.html

More about Bohemian


In d 19th century, Bohemian was used for the very first time in English. It means non-traditional life styles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, journalists, musicians and actors in major European cities.


It was related to things like unorthodox or anti-establishment political or social viewpoints, which were often expressed through free love, frugality, and/or voluntary poverty.


Began to emerge in France in the early 19th century, when artists and creators began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower class gypsy neighborhoods. 


It was a common term for the Romani people of France, who had reached Western Europe via Bohemia.

It is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits, with few permanent ties. Bohemians can be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.

Literary Bohemians were link to roving Gypsies in the French imagination (called bohemians because they were believed to have arrived from Bohemia), outsiders apart from conventional society and untroubled by its disapproval. The term carries a connotation of arcane enlightenment (the opposite of Philistines), and also carries a less frequently intended, pejorative connotation of carelessness about personal hygiene and marital fidelity. The Spanish gypsy in the French opera Carmen set in Seville, is referred to as a bohémienne in Meilhac and Halévy's libretto (1875).

A Bohemian is simply an artist or littérateur who, consciously or unconsciously, secedes from conventionality in life and in art.

The influence of the “Bohemian” style started with the hippie movement of the late 60s and early 70s reflecting a relaxed and natural free-spirited way of living by the young generation of that time. Most involved in this cultural movement were musicians, artists, poets, writers and the list goes on. From the outside point of view from the anti-hippies of the early days, the look was associated with dirty and sloppy, but for the hippies it was a state of mind without intention of making a fashion statement. They wanted just to feel free to express themselves with artistic candor.

The Bohemian of Today

(Some ways to make you look bohemian) i think.

Today's 'Boho Look' (formerly Bohemian) still influences the fashion world combined with more sophisticated styles. 

It’s a timeless style, all about personalizing it and figuring out what suits YOU best. You can live anywhere and incorporate a lot of your own cultural elements into that look.

You don’t have to wear a Boho outfit from head to toe. The fun part is always experimenting, playing with accessories, mixing it up with other items, and creating interesting layers. You will be surprised with the different looks you can achieve with only a few clothes. It all just depends on how you put it together!

The trick is to find Boho style in your favorite colors, cuts and fabrics. Also look for texture, length, volume and patterns when choosing your layers. Wear a pretty, floral, flowing dress, add a belt, a pair of flat sandals, cool hoop earrings and aviator sunglasses.

Even soft chiffons or silk fabric dresses are welcome and can go with low to medium heels. For a more polished look, this can be combined as well with silk blouses and dark faded or white jeans, heeled shoes and a pearl necklace to create an urban, modern style.

Pieces that can make any outfit so much more interesting and intriguing are those with intricate design details, trims with embroideries, beads, macramé, handkerchief hems, smocking, florals, stitching, wooden, buttons and fringe, lace, tassels ....

To imbue your hair with bohemian vibes blending it with your outfit, consider the following: headbands, broad brimmed floppy and Viola hats, knitwear, even fewer simple braids hanging between the hair is quite lovely.

Wear shorts, prairie skirts with soft peasant cotton, crocheted toppers and gladiators leather sandals or metallic flats, medium boots adorned with fringing, ... The final touch is one of natural accessories made with some organic Boho style materials such as wood, seeds, pearls, ... different types of beads for your necklace can be layered with different heights. Arrange them with a long chain and in the middle with stone pendant or chunky medallion, shells, rings.

The Hobo bag can go either way, depending on how you feel in that moment, a simple Boho style or sophisticated Boho style, there are so many styles that can be paired with anything. But the most important is what makes you feel comfortable and specially happy in your own unique style.

Reference:

Holman, R. (2005) The History of Bohemian. 26 Jun 2012. Retrieve from http://bellabohemian.com/Bohemian_Style.shtml

The information reflected some history of Bohemian in the 1960s which often being related to the Hippie movement during that time. Even until today, the bohemian style is still being acceptable to the people but it has become more to fashion conscious then culture conscious.

Essay structure.

World War II started from the year of 1939 and ended in the year of 1945. 


Any decade since World War II means after the year of 1945.


For this question, i thought about doing bohemian fashion. Probably due to my sister who love  Bohemian fashion. I remembered there was once i asked her whether she knows anything about bohemian fashion and she told me she does not know. Therefore, i was quite curious as to how bohemian fashion was born and why is it still so popular now? 


To my surprise,


Bohemian style actually started 200 years ago. It is usually associated with artists, writers, and intellectuals, bohemian culture combining Gypsy and other ethic clothing style.


Consists of loose, colorful clothing and has appeared as boho chic, hippie style, and Aesthetic dress. With their long flowing hair and rich, though threadbare fabrics, bohemians stand out in a crowd representing a colorful counterculture based on creativity, poverty, and an indifference to social structures and traditions.


Appeared in France after the French Revolution.


A new cult of personality emerged with the artist as hero and individual style expressed in the way one dressed. An artist became a special type of person, not merely a crafts person, but a kind of eccentric genius whose creativity was displayed in the way they lived and looked. The artist himself (or herself) was a piece of art.


People compared the new artistic types to wandering Gypsies (believed that Gypsies originated in Bohemia, an area of Eastern Europe and the Balkans) ThereforeSo, artist and intellectual were referred as Gypsy. The word Gypsy, derived from the word Egyptian, which many thought the actual home of the nomadic people who were often social outcasts that lived outside the mainstream.)


1830, French Bohemian art crowd and the Romantics embraced medieval and oriental clothing styles. With their colorful fabrics, long flowing hair, and wide brimmed hats, the artistic culture did come to resemble Gypsies.

The novelist Henri Murger wrote tales about the people that he called bohemians, centering on a group of artists and intellectuals in threadbare coats, old shoes, and a general look of dishevelment. 

Bohemian style evolved into a cult of the individual, a person appearance became a work of art with carefully planned outfits and accessories. The word bohemian suggested a sense of arcane enlightenment, sexual freedom, and poor personal hygiene.

Bohemian life rejects materialism, private property, and centers on creativity and communal living. Often related with the use of drugs and alcohol, bohemians ignore social convention, centering their lives on art.

In the 19th century, 

the Aesthetic Movement became a type of bohemian life style. 

Rebelled against the rigid social constraints of the Victorian era, embraced a style based on the clothing of the past, particularly medieval dress and oriental designs.

It was believed that the mass production of the Industrial Revolution was dehumanizing, the Aesthetics strove to encourage the old techniques of the Middle Ages with individually crafted goods. Clothing was loose and soft, using fabrics colored with organic dyes and decorated with hand embroidery. The Pre-Raphaelite artists of the day rejected corsets, crinolines, and the stiff bodices and restrictive clothing of Victorian fashion.

Fashion Elements of Bohemian Style

Bohemian style, now known as boho chic, has come down through history, reappearing as beatnik style and in the hippie culture of the 1960's. For 200 years, bohemian style has consisted of several fashion elements.

• Loose, flowing clothing made of natural fabrics

• Less restrictive garments worn without corsets, bras or other restrictive elements

• Loose, flowing hair

• Colorful scarves worn at the neck, on the head, or instead of a belt

• Peasant style clothing including tunics, loose trousers, boots, and sandals

• Used or worn clothing

• Oriental elements including robes, kimonos, an the ethnic designs of Persia, India, Turkey, and China

• Mixing historical elements of medieval clothing with ethnic styles

• Layering

• Matching of garments in a nontraditional manner, such as mixing prints, or unusual color combinations

• Multi strands of beads, several bangle bracelets, and the wearing of unusual, hand crafted, or unmatched jewelry

• Large dangle or large hoop earrings

• Broad brimmed hats

• Patched clothing

• Paisley, flowered fabrics, ruffles, lace edged sleeves

• A general disregard for tidiness and uniformity of dress

• A look of contrived dishevelment

Figure 1: Bohemian style 1857 : (Source: doloresmonet.hubpages.com, n.d.)

20th Century Bohemian Style

Bohemian style came to be associated with young people wishing to separate themselves from the materialistic culture of past generations. Bohemian style gave birth to more modern counter culture styles. Beatniks, with their black turtle necks and striped shirts took on a more austere tone of dress. Hippie style introduced a note of childhood into the mix by incorporating cowboy and Indian styles as well as short, girlish skirts.

But as mass media embraced bohemianism, one wonders if the term is still viable. When a coutner culture goes mainstream, the style can no longer be viewed as alternative.

When discount stores sell peasant skirts, and fashion magazines offer expensive designer made bohemian style garments, the nature of the bohemian life has become a cultural norm, no longer unique and specific to a particular group.

Though fashionistas embrace boho chic, the life itself - the yearning for individual freedom, the rejection of modern materialistic concepts, the dream of utopian ideals, and production of hand crafted goods remains a powerful alternative to mainstream culture.

Reference:

Monet, D. (n.d.) Boho - The Fashion History of Bohemian Style. 19 Jun 2012, from http://doloresmonet.hubpages.com/hub/BohoTheFashionHistoryofBohemianClothes#

Key points of the questions:

1. Choose any decade (10 years)

2. Discuss the attitudes to the body AND fashion at that time.

3. Suggest reasons for those attitudes based on your knowledge of media and cultural factor.

4. Define your own attitude to the body image and show this evidenced in your work.

Media Culture

Question 5. Choose any decade since World War II and discuss the attitudes to the body and fashion at that time. Suggest reasons for those attitudes based on your knowledge of media and cultural factors. Define your own attitude to the body image and show how this is evidence in your work.