Hollywood's Changing Face of Beauty
From Greta Garbo to Kate Hudson, How Beauty Has Changed in America
"The most beautiful woman in London in 1720 who had a big mouth and a big nose would seem very ugly to us," said Lois Banner, a professor in the department of history at the University of Southern California.
Likewise, in the 1890s the Victorian ideal of beauty was really "a fat woman by today's standards, maybe about 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds, with big breasts and big hips," according to Banner.
Although fashion magazines had traditionally set the standard for what was beautiful, around the turn of the 20th century along came vaudeville performers and film stars to define the trends. Mary Pickford was one of the first silent-era film stars. Known as "America's Sweetheart" at the height of her popularity, Pickford's curly brown hair was widely copied by women around the country.
Then in the late 1920s along came two actresses whose looks defined an era, even though they could not have been more different.
"Joan Crawford was kind of a 'chick,' with her roguish eyes and rebellious ways," Banner said. Crawford's dark-haired beauty contrasted with Greta Garbo's angular features and thin physique.
"The word glamorous came in to use right about that time," Banner said, "and it was perfect to describe Greta Garbo."
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
