Cassie C. sent us a vintage ad that illustrates the way that beauty standards can change dramatically over time. The ad, for products called Fat-ten-u and Corpula, promises to help you get fat, a clearly desirable state:
Available at the Library of Congress.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that the woman in the photo likely wouldn’t be considered fat by current standards, partially because of a small waist that probably resulted from corseting.
Side note: The link Cassie sent us, at Whole Health Source, has two black and white ads as well, but I haven’t been able to verify them as authentic or find any info on where they were found or originally appeared, and I’ve found some questions about their authenticity.
Comments 10
Bigwiggity Boo — April 23, 2011
These types of ads were common in celebrity magazines during the Great Depression as well... http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5647254390_9ae20d2255_b.jpg **
I guess an economic downturns and food shortage can have that effect? During the 1920's, being too skinny was no longer a reflection of one's "self-control", but instead was seen as indicative of impoverishment - and not just in the caloric sense ;P
**Image scanned from "Celebrity Culture and the American Dream: Stardom & Social Mobility" by Karen Sternheimer.
Lyttle Bird — April 23, 2011
I have a few reproductions of Sears and Roebuck catalogs from the early 1900s. There are several weight-gain supplements, though they tend to be straightforward copy ("Product X provides a figure that pleases" and all that) accompanied by an illustration of the packaging, rather than full advertisements. Fat-Ten-U seems to be legit, though I have no idea if those particular advertisements are real.
Maggie — April 23, 2011
It's not actually any different today. Too skinny is bad, too fat is also bad. True then and now.
And we still have protein shakes and whatnot, though they're marketed more towards men now.
[links] Link salad lays a colored egg | jlake.com — April 24, 2011
[...] Vintage Ad for Fat-ten-u Products — Huh? [...]
Amanda — April 28, 2011
On a similar vein, "get fat" postcards were pretty popular at the turn of the century. The idea essentially was thin = sick, so you went to health spas and vacations to get healthy and therefore fat.
Below is a site with a bunch of them. A few of my Fat Admirer fans consider them to be the first Fat Admiration/BBW art work or even borderline erotica.
Postcards
http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/postcards/pc_gain.htm
Ad for Parker's Weightgain
http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/postcards/parkers.jpg
I seriously wish I had my hands on my friend Stephen's art collection -- he has TONS of this sort of stuff, from circus Fat lady artwork and vintage photographs, to player piano sheet music, to century old weight gain ads. There is a ton of this if you just look for it.
Anna#128 — June 24, 2011
I love the poster girl's waist. How fat should I become to have waist that small?