The fixation with our weight was alive and well in 1930s Hollywood.
Photoplay, the celebrity gossip magazine de rigeur at the time ran a contest whereby four “judges” decided on what the ideal female form was, and which Hollywood actress at that time possessed these perfect measurements.
And the winner was…….
Mexican movie star Dolores del Rio.
Transitioning well from the silent films to ‘talkies’, Dolores del Rio had a healthy fuller figure than many other Hollywood actresses. Of course, there was also talk that this contest and the results were a ploy to promote certain actresses, especially those who had impending films coming up.
Either way it was refreshing to see this excerpt, especially after the 1920s Flapper craze:
“The general notion of what is a good figure no longer seems to be what it was a year or more ago, influenced by the unsound fad which glorified boyish forms.Mrs. and Miss America survived on lamb chops and pineapple, oranges, and lettuce.”
Below is the article courtesy of Media History Digital Library:
Guess not much has changed since then, but at least they are not a size 0, and Earl Carroll’s ‘ideal measurements’ are within healthy and reachable limits.
