If you are stout

[daphnep]

Because the internet is my friend this evening, I present to you the earliest "Plus Sized" advertising in women's fashion, courtesy of Lane Bryant, the company that first brought us clothing to fit in larger sizes.

If you are not slender...

Comments

[malkhos]

What this shows, I suspect, is that the 1920s the first time thinness (i.e boyishness) became an ideal in the fashion industry (women's bodies be damned), and it took about a generation for the plus size/stout business to pick up.

To judge form her statues, the goddess Venus was about a 10/12.

On the other hand, Pliny advises girls that if they want to loose weight before their weddings they should go out at dawn and lick the dew off leaves, which will take the fat right off--but I've always suspected that may be girls who want to go from a 16 to an ideal 12.

[daphnep]

That's a wonderful bit from Pliny!

That's a good point about the 20's figure, and I'd add to that that the idea of ready-made clothing manufacture was also only just getting off to a start, so part of it is also the process of creating standardized sizes for the first time.

[congogirl]

I wonder if there was some other sense to the word chubbies when that ad came out? Or was it a straight-up call like all their ads for Stout Women?

[daphnep]

Other sense, like what, I wonder?

[congogirl]

It is probably unlikely, but I guess that's my optimist streak. Without further etymology resources at hand, all I know is chubby probably comes from chub fish. The synonyms offered were roly poly, plump, and some others. I perceive chubby as somewhat negative, but not plump or roly poly, in the same way. So it looks like it probably didn't have a different meaning altogether, but maybe it was like saying "healthy" or big boned.

[daphnep]

I don't think it was pejorative, at that time--fully as out-of-date as the use of "stout". (Although I rather like "stout", I'd use it myself if it didn't automatically link to "short" in my mind.)