8
THE BODY SIZE AND HEALTH DEBATE
Females: 1930s
and
1940s
The 1930s and 1940s in the United States are most often thought of in
terms of the stock market crash and the Great Depression that immedi-
ately followed. The 1940s are also remembered as the time in history that
saw the second Great War: World War II. Both events had a significant
impact on women not only in terms of how they lived their lives and what
they were “allowed” to do, but also in terms of fashion. During this era,
Amelia Earhart took flight, Ella Fitzgerald began her singing career, and
Eleanor Roosevelt fought for the fair treatment of women. These trailblaz-
ing women helped to redefine what women are capable of and how they
should expect to be treated.
The stock market crash in 1929 resulted in a great deal of personal and
economic turmoil. Many people lived in abject poverty because they lost
everything including their jobs. Most could not find new employment. As
a result, women were strongly discouraged to even consider entering the
workforce. The message was clear: because jobs are scarce, you do not
belong in the workplace and should refocus your energies on the home.
Some even blamed women being in the workforce to begin with as the
cause of the Great Depression. This, of course, was untrue but reflected the
view of working women at the time.
Betty Boop was introduced to the world in the 1930s. She was the first
cartoon character that exhibited sexuality. She wore a short strapless dress,
high heels, and a visible garter. She wore jewelry and had large eyes with
pronounced eye lashes. She was often depicted as the object of male atten-
tion but remained a character that displayed innocence and a child-like
quality. In short, she portrayed women as innocent but sexual. The bur-
geoning display of female sexuality on the printed page or on the silver
screen created a great deal of discomfort for a lot of people of the day.
Whether it had to do with what women could and could not show of their
bodies or what types of scenarios were depicted on screen, the Hays Code
of the 1930s regulated proper and moral behavior shown in film.
The 1920s saw a firm shift away from internal beauty to external beauty.
Makeup became more acceptable and was associated with the average
woman rather than solely women with “loose morals.” When the 1930s
rolled around mass advertising had understood the shift and began market-
ing beauty products to all women. Women were told that they needed the
cosmetics in order to avoid looking old or enduring the pain of social iso-
lation as a result of not looking good enough. They peddled the idea that
looking your best meant that you would have friends, could get and keep
a husband, and could still look young, which was clearly more desirable
