Girdles of the future are a thing of the past?
I was browsing "Paleofuture" a website that logs ideas from the past about what the future will be like and I came across this article:
http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2010/4/27/vitamins-and-exercise-to-replace-girdles-by-2007-1957.html
An article from 1957 proclaiming that women of the future will not need girdles because they will be replaced by vitamins and exercise. There is a response from a lady in the girdle industry who states that womens' shapes have not changed in the last thousand years and are unlikely to do so by 2007.
I thought others might also find it interesting and spur some conversation.
I found it really interesting and it got me thinking about a few things.
One was the idea that this concept of an "obesity epidemic" is perhaps not anything new - that it is just one more link in a chain of ideas about improving the body. Ideas about being just one or two generations away from controlling the human body through scientific intervention (vitamins)
It also got me thinking about how vitamins and exercise are like a girdle in today's world - constraining and inhibiting - and attempting to change womens' bodies to an unrealistic standard.
It also got me thinking about how much throughout history womens' bodies are manipulated, and the natural form rejected.
Lastly, it got me thinking about how the female form seems to constantly be used as a sight of intervention, and a substitute for the national body - better through constraint and intervention.
Sorry for the gender specific nature of the thoughts - the article was particularly about women. Although, there is an equally compelling set of thoughts about mens' bodies and the use of exercise and 'vitamin' intervention to be stronger, leaner, and more efficient.
I just thought it would be interesting to think about and discuss.
http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2010/4/27/vitamins-and-exercise-to-replace-girdles-by-2007-1957.html
An article from 1957 proclaiming that women of the future will not need girdles because they will be replaced by vitamins and exercise. There is a response from a lady in the girdle industry who states that womens' shapes have not changed in the last thousand years and are unlikely to do so by 2007.
I thought others might also find it interesting and spur some conversation.
I found it really interesting and it got me thinking about a few things.
One was the idea that this concept of an "obesity epidemic" is perhaps not anything new - that it is just one more link in a chain of ideas about improving the body. Ideas about being just one or two generations away from controlling the human body through scientific intervention (vitamins)
It also got me thinking about how vitamins and exercise are like a girdle in today's world - constraining and inhibiting - and attempting to change womens' bodies to an unrealistic standard.
It also got me thinking about how much throughout history womens' bodies are manipulated, and the natural form rejected.
Lastly, it got me thinking about how the female form seems to constantly be used as a sight of intervention, and a substitute for the national body - better through constraint and intervention.
Sorry for the gender specific nature of the thoughts - the article was particularly about women. Although, there is an equally compelling set of thoughts about mens' bodies and the use of exercise and 'vitamin' intervention to be stronger, leaner, and more efficient.
I just thought it would be interesting to think about and discuss.