How to Be a Real-Life Barbie (1943)

Selling the "glamorous curves” of “popular” girls

Kelp-A-Malt (1943) Source

Barbie, the iconic fashion doll, introduced generations of young girls to a lifetime of pursuing an unrealistic and exaggerated body shape. But Barbie wasn’t the only product that sold the idealized female body.

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Many dietary supplements sold the “glamorous curves” of “popular” girls. Wate-On was marketed to women who were "thin, flat, skinny and underweight."

"Gosh, Jean, you sure are popular since you put on these extra pounds."

Many ads featured testimonials from B-list celebrities who praised Wate-On for helping them achieve a fuller figure that would make them more attractive and popular with men.

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These products reflected the changing beauty ideals of the 20th century.

In the early 1900s, women were expected to have a curvy and voluptuous figure. It was seen as a sign of health, fertility and wealth.

In the 1920s, the flapper style emerged, which favored a slim and boyish silhouette. Women who wanted to fit into the flapper fashion had to bind their breasts, wear loose-fitting clothes and cut their hair short. This trend was short-lived, though, as the Great Depression and World War II made people value comfort and practicality over style.

In the postwar era, the ideal body shape for women shifted back to a more feminine and hourglass figure, which was popularized by stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.

This was also the time when Barbie was introduced, a doll that introduced low self esteem and unrealistic beauty standards to generations of young girls.

By the late 1960s the idealized female form took another turn - toward the thin and androgynous style of Twiggy. Rinse and repeat.

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For more history of the idealized female form see:

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