Pin-Up Women In The 1950's

In the 1950s, women were just as sexualised and pressured as they are now. Pin-up girls were glamorous models or actresses whose images were mass-produced and meant to be “pinned up” on a wall. Pin-up girl photographs were also turned into illustrations that were highly retouched. The (likely male) artist would elongate legs; tuck in the waist and plump up breasts as shown on the images attached [2], which is similar as to what Photoshop does now, creating an unrealistic, unattainable human form. The ideal female body may have been heavier at that time, but it was just as criticized and retouched as it is now. Ironically, these years also saw society shaming thinner girls in the same way mass media shames larger figures now. Advertisements
from the 1940s and 50s depicted skinny women as being hopeless in romantic pursuits, noting that gaining weight was their only hope to attract a suitor. This is evident in the image with the caption “Men wouldn’t look at me when I was skinny” [3].