Comical lingerie advertisements from the 1940s reveal Spanx's restrictive predecessors. From rigid corsets and girdles to bullet bras the before-and-after shots show how early underwear innovations helped flatten the tummy, lift the bust, and improve the posture.
Down and out in the before shots, these women look considerably happier in the after shots, as they showcase their new nipped in physiques.
Tummy tuck: A woman admires her new nipped in waist thanks to a rigid all-in-one
Helping hand: An assistant helps a female customer achieve a more sculpted physique
It is likely that their smiles quickly faded as the stiff garments - although hugely popular at the time - were also constricting and uncomfortable.
Vintage Dancer, author of The 1940′s Style Guide: The Complete Illustrated Guide to 1940′s Fashion for Women, writes on www.vintagedancer.com: 'Ahh the undergarments or foundation garments were the sole of 1940′s fashion.
'They created the hour glass shape with smooth lines that were critical to 40′s fashion. They were also very uncomfortable.'Christian Dior is said to have inspired the trend for the hourglass figure as demonstrated in this set of images recently published on Retronaut.
Quick tutorial: An illustration shows how the latest underwear will help transform the body
Instant lift: Vintage bras, especially those of the 1940s through the 1960s, were built in more of a cone shape than rather a round shape, like those of today
Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Princess Margaret and the Duchess of Windsor were just some of the women who looked to the French designer to help sculpt their curves.
A postwar baby boom during the period also created a demand for maternity and nursing bras, while television provided new promotional opportunities.
Constructed of elastic fabric and sometimes fastened with hook and eye closures, girdles were also considered essential garments by many women from about 1920 to the late 1960s to create a rigid, controlled figure.
Easy as one, two, three! This model sports a straight back and smile after slipping into new underwear
Perfect poise: A girdle and bullet bra help give this lady a lift
Hit TV series Mad Men is thought to have reignited the trend for corsets and shapewear. Rowan Pelling, former editor of Erotic Review, said: ‘Mad Men has led to a stampede for corsets. It hasn’t been a fashionable look, but now the women with waists and busts are striking back.’
Belly flattener: This vintage advert how to make your 'clothes fit swell'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2201047/Shapewear-came-Spanx--Forties-ads-reveal-girdles-corsets-hourglass-silhouette.html#ixzz2669zKtpw
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