having the right "physique" for the golden era?

[green papaya]

I think it's also very important to try and maintain a fit and trim physique if you want to look correct for the golden era, you seldom see a obese person back in those days, since people did more things manually back then and also did more outdoor activity instead of sitting in front of a computer all day or watching television.

 

[MK]

really?

 

[The Wingnut]

Eddie looks as if he's having a heart attack in that shot...

 

[green papaya]

band members 1930's

two GI's during WWII

happy father circa 1940

 

[green papaya]

the people in those old pictures wouldnt be considered obese these days.

 

[The Wolf]

I have the perfect golden age physique

I don't have Alan Ladd's or Randolph Scott's physique.
I do have William Powell's physique.
If you've seen him being showered in "High Pressure" then you know the shape I'm in.


The Wolf

 

[Biltmore Bob]

The parents of those two boys need to be horsewhipped.

Really!...

 

[DanielJones]

Oh m'God!!

Well if I had a horse, I'd whip 'em with it. Dang!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[varga49]

No offense but..

I think it's also very important to try and maintain a fit and trim physique if you want to look correct for the golden era, you seldom see a obese person back in those days, since people did more things manually back then and also did more outdoor activity instead of sitting in front of a computer all day or watching television.

you must be twenty or maybe thirty-something! not that there's anything wrong with that, as long as I can see my belt and shoes when I'm at the urinal I feel ok with it all!

 

[Sefton]

Another thing about those times is that the heroic types (Movies,books,and the real ones i.e, servicemen) while fit, would be considered small by todays skewed "standards". We let ourselves become grossly obese yet we elevate steroid 'hulks' as heroes.


Let's not forget to give honorable mention to Mr. W.C. Fields, Mr. Lou Costello and Stan Laurel!

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I heard that, Varga...

 

[varga49]

and anyway....

the people in those old pictures wouldnt be considered obese these days.

that kid on the right looks like he's part sharpei!!!

 

[Mimi Thomas]

You may be speaking of the gentlemen, greenP, but the ladies were considerably more voluptuous in days past. While there was a brief trend toward more slender body types in the late 20s/early 30s, right through until fairly recently, women who looked like 12 year old boys were not considered attractive.

So I don't consider myself obese, but at 36-24-36, I most certainly do not fit today's standards of beauty.

Much as like any time in history, it seems that there were all body types, but most matinee idols were trim and athletic. But not all.

 

[scotrace]

YES!

...ladies were considerably more voluptuous in days past. While there was a brief trend toward more slender body types in the late 20s/early 30s, right through until fairly recently, women who looked like 12 year old boys were not considered attractive.
...

Bingo! I do not consider a woman of any age to be attractive who has no hips, no bottom or pencil legs. Women should have Shape! SHAPE I say!

The hip hugger pants that continue to be worn today are H I D E O U S! Especially with a bulge of backfat poking out the top. What are they thinking? That same shape, with some high waisted pants (see J. Peterman's "Glamour Pants") or better, a dress with some poufe' is extremely flattering.

OK, off soapbox.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

For women, I think they are very identifiable body types for each era. But remember, those who did not fit the mold could be 'helped' with foundation garments (which were sold for men, too.)

I'd say the truly voluptuous, hourglass figure was not in vogue until the late 40s-1950s. In the 1920s women wanted to have boyish slim figures (a less 'hardened' version of the figure in vogue currently.) Women of the 1930s were still expected to be quite slender, all the better to carry off the figure-hugging clothing. Women of the 1940s wanted natural but 'controlled’ figures and were still expected to be quite slim-hipped. I would say that the biggest difference is that women once were expected to be 'soft'; in other words, they would exercise but they did not strive for the muscular, athletic body of today.

So, I agree with Mimi in that the 36-24-36 of today is different then those same measurements 50 years ago. As a woman who shares a very similar build, I can attest that it is nearly impossible to find pants that fit correctly. Gone is the era of wasp waists, at least for now!

 

[LaMedicine]

Official (medical) standard and definition of overweight/obesity.
BMI Calculator

Mimi, boy, I envy your figure!
At least, I'm in the physically fit group, so I'll have to be satisfied with that.

 

[Angelicious]

I think it's also very important to try and maintain a fit and trim physique if you want to look correct for the golden era, you seldom see a obese person back in those days, since people did more things manually back then and also did more outdoor activity instead of sitting in front of a computer all day or watching television.

Not to mention that whole starving-in-the-depression thing...

I think that apart from the fact that back then you could actually make a living from manual labour (instead of needing an undergraduate degree to be a filing clerk), the main point is that food was natural (covered in pesticides, and occasionally enhanced with awful chemicals, but compared to today, natural) instead of refined and full of corn syrup.

Food today isn't really food. Low-fat food is full of sugar. Sugar-free food is full of fat and carcinogenic artificial sweetners made from petroleum by-product. Nutrients are bleached out and then inferior synthetic vitamins are added. Unprocessed foods are expensive, processed simple carbohydrates (with delicious MSG) form the basis of many people's diet, and flavoured, caffeinated, aerated sugar-water is cheaper than milk.

Since this awful food leads to low energy and ill health, which in turn lead to physical and mental inactivity, which result in obesity and depression - is it any wonder we are, on average, 60% more likely to be overweight than our ancestors, who lived with sports, leisure time, PT, war, manual labour, the Depression, and real food that they actually had to work for?

 

[jamespowers]

Hmmmmm.... Looks like this guy did quite well being his size for a good part of his professional career:

Regards to all,

J

 

[zeus36]

...So I don't consider myself obese, but at 36-24-36, I most certainly do not fit today's standards of beauty...

Well you certainly fit MINE.

Give me Rosalind Russell, Mamie Van Doren, Mae West, and Marilyn Monroe any day!

 

[The Wolf]

Now wait a minute, jitterbugdoll

When you said foundation garments for men why were looking at me?

Paranoidedly,
The Wolf