jc wrote:what I do know is that before Twiggy most people had a central concept of what beauty was and it included well-curved proportions
If you think about it, the flappers were really the start of it (which is weird, because all of that is connected with feminism in my mind), with their style demanding long, boyish figures to wear. The expectations just wasn't nearly as unrealistic back then. Then the 40's and (especially) the 50's came along and curvy was hot again, until Audrey Hepburn made the scene. It was Hubert De Givenchy, the man who provided most of the clothing that Audrey is famous for putting together in her own way, who observed that her extra-slim ballarina's figure made the clothing "drape" well, and he was right. As much as most of us hate to admit it, clothing does sell better when presented on a slightly thinner frame. Just not THAT thin.
And with the two of them being the style icons they were, fashion stood up and took notice. And the rest is history. Twiggy and all those other people who, in the 60's and 70's, commercialized the super-thin look, were simply standing on the shoulders of those who once made it look good. God, I could go on and on about this.
