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.