Hour Glass figures

[LaMedicine]

You don't have to be stick thin to be healthy either though, or sexy. I mean look at Sophia Loren, Diana Dors......(do you guys know who she was?)
We don't want to be Twiggy......just happy, and healthy and glamourous...am I right?????? :cheers1:

Eve, bull's eye!

Vladimir, before you worry about the female waist in GB, I think you should worry about the same in the US, I wouldn't be surprised if it topped the GB gals by an inch or two...Last time I was in the US (this spring) I got the visual impression that the CDC data is correct-more than 60% in the overweight/obese league, with half of the 60% within the obese (in medical terms) range.

Well, I don't have hourglass figure, either, actually. I lack some in the upper quarters, but I make the effort to keep things ship-shape through regular exercise as well as getting as much help as I can of the latex-spandex-whalebone variety 24/7 But I think, watching the younger female population, these latex-spandex thingamabobs used from fairly early years while our physique changes from that of a girl to a young woman, tend to help keep our curves balanced, so don't miss out on the chance if you've still got it!!

What concerns me most, because I'm a physician, is that fat that accumulates in our midriff is visceral fat, meaning, fat accumulating in our abdominal cavity, stuck all around our abdominal organs, and sneaking into our livers, causing a wide variety of "life style" derived diseases that debiliate us over the long term. Fortunately, visceral fat is fat that is easiest to get rid of, via exercise and active life style. We females are designed so our subcuatneous fat (which is harder to get rid of) gives us our curves. Just gotta make sure they stay there, and not sneak into our innards.
Better stop here before I turn this into a medical lecture

As for feet...probably lack of constraint is the culprit...think of the bound feet of Chinese women a century or two ago...Although any podiatrist will tell you that badly shaped and badly fitting shoes are disastrous, a pair of shoes that fits you well will perform miracles. Look at the trouble all professional athletes will go into to get a pair of good shoes fitting for their respective sports. (What I would give to get my hands on a pair of shoes that look elegant and smart, and at the same time not hurt my feet after a full day of work!)

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Best known hour glass figure...

 

[LaMedicine]

Couldn't resist, could you, Bob?[bad]
Now that you've had your say, I'm sure you can behave yourself, and respect Lauren's post re posting in the Powder Room

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Couldn't resist, could you, Bob?[bad]
Now that you've had your say, I'm sure you can behave yourself, and respect Lauren's post re posting in the Powder Room

I don't know what you mean. Boys can't post in The Powder Room anymore? Or can't put up a picture? I must've missed Laurens post. No one said anything 'bout Vlad's postings. Guess I didn't get the memo.

OK so I went back to look for the abovementioned guidelines. I really don't think I am in violation by posting a picture of Mae West. You're talking about hour glass figures, so I post a pic of the most famous figure I can think of, beside this one...



I see teenage Mall Tramps wearing more provacative clothes than that when I pick up my kid at the High School.

 

[ITG]

Bob, I think you're okay so far in the pic you posted of Ms. West. I think La Medicine was just giving a preliminary warning to behave yourself before you misbehave (or so I'm guessing as that is how I'm interpreting it).

 

[Lauren]

Yup, no post regarding men not posting- men behaving themselves in another story. No problems, Bob- what ITG said is what it boils down to You weren't out of line.

Another non-hourglass girl signing in! My thoughts are that female beauty comes in many forms and shapes- it's knowing what suits your personality and figure best that makes a woman beautiful. Not trying to conform into something that everyone else is or a size that is not really your size. There's nothing wrong with being a bigger or smaller, non hourglass shape girl or hourglass girl! It's knowing how to use what you've got

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Bob, I think you're okay so far in the pic you posted of Ms. West. I think La Medicine was just giving a preliminary warning to behave yourself before you misbehave (or so I'm guessing as that is how I'm interpreting it).

Are you saying that I have a history of misbehaving?

 

[AllaboutEve]

Reading through some of the replies to this thread I realise that this subject may have given people the impression that being anything other than a Marilyn Monroe lookalike was unacceptable. This isn't what I was shooting at really. There are absolutely stunning women of all shapes and sizes, my line of thought provoked by the newspaper article link was more that diet, life-style and a "political" way of dressing may be permanently changing the way women look. I fear that young women in London are heading in all the wrong directions.
It has also made me wonder exactly what an hour-glass figure is? Do you have to be voluptuous or can you be a petite hour-glass?
My best friend has the boyish like figure so favoured in the 1920's and she looks lovely, I would hate Magneto or Swankysister to think that this is an elitist discussion.......

 

[Lauren]

I believe- but I could be mistaken- that the hourglass figure was classified as a proportianate number- bust measure waist subtract 10" - hips same as bust. For example= 36-26-36.

 

[rubyredlocks]

I admit that article could be about me. I'm a bit out of shape due to poor eating habits and lack of exercise. It's not that i 've gained alot,it all just sits in the same spot. I still look petite,but others suspect I'm pregnant and not telling. (I've been asked :rage: more than once)
I'm sure my metabolism has slowed down as well with age. My hope is to get back in shape by April.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I enjoy the look of a full figured gal...

Not obese or fat, but full figured like Jane Russell or Marilyn Monroe. I can't stand Twiggies. They look painful and not much fun.

 

[Lauren]

Ok, Mr Bob, we love you, but it's time to get back to girl chat

 

[swankysister]

My best friend has the boyish like figure so favoured in the 1920's and she looks lovely, I would hate Magneto or Swankysister to think that this is an elitist discussion.......

Ooooh, no. No problems there Eve. I know what my bod looks like and I also know that males and females will always analyse their appearance and never be satisfied.

I also think that the 'muffin top' look of bellies rolling out over low waistbands isn't aesthetically pleasing. It looks uncomfortable as well. I'm a Harry Highpants when it comes to waistbands.

 

[MissQueenie]

Sister, you are in luck! High waistbands are (maybe were? I haven't picked up a magazine in a while) sneaking back into style. I mean, the high waists and cigarette skinny legs, which was a popular look in the 80s. I have vague memories of my mother laying down to get into her jeans -- and she's a size 2!! Anyway, they might be easier to find these days The "muffin top" analogy made me laugh. Do you know, a year or two ago, I read an article in a fashion magazine (JANE) that suggested women buy tight, low cut jeans and cropped shirts to show off the "adorable" little roll?!

I can't seem to find jeans with the right amount of room in the legs -- either NONE or too much, same goes for the rear. I'm pretty full-figured below the waist, but I'm also short, so it's just a nightmare. I've about given up on pants these days. I have one good pair of trousers and a lot of skirts. Jeans just make me sad.

 

[Betty's Double]

I mix styles a lot.
I wear jeans with corsets and don't care about modern fashion or trends. I wear any kind of jeans, just as long as they fit and not too big or too small.

Even though it is a simbol of a man's dominence over a woman and says that a woman should have the tiny waist in order to be considered pretty, I feel like more of a woman when I wear a corset because it gives me the curves that I can't get on my own even if I tried. I can feel the roundness in my hips.

My sides have a permanant little indention because I have been wearing corsets since I was sixteen. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have a figure. I am built petite; without it, I look like a little girl and not a woman.

 

[starstruck]

Need someone to Alter Corset/Girdle

I have a wonderful vintage Practical Front laced corset/girdle. I have had several lace-up girdles, but this is by far superior to anything I have seen. This is a wonderful and rare specimen, and it is a pleasure to wear.

It is size 26 and I have size 24 waist.Unfortunately it laces all the way closed near the top. It gives excellent support and control, but I really need to take 2-4 inches off the circumference everywhere.

I need someone who knows how to modify a corset. I can't trust this in the hands of an amateur. It has 6 or 8 steel bones, and I'm sure that it can be made smaller by reducing a couple of the panels between the bones.

Does anyone know where I can get this alteration done?

Many thanks

Starstruck

 

[Lauren]

Maybe try contacting Janet at Alteryears and she may know of someone who can help you out. When she had a store I know she had teachers in to teach corset making classes.

http://alteryears.com/

 

[decodoll]

Corsets can be very difficult to impossible to alter once they are complete depending on how it's put together. I've never made a girdle, although something much like what you have is next on my sewing list. Two to four inches out of a corset is going to be a pretty major alteration. You might try posting the question and pictures to the Live Journal Corsetmakers community.

 

[ladyk]

Thought you may all be intested in what I read in British fashion weekly Grazia. It is the issue discussing what is to be big in 2006, and they are recommending heading over to fig leaves.com to pick up my trusted favourite, the Rago waist cincher. Although I cannot imagine the average woman of today wanting to wear such strong shape wear...

MissWx

 

[miss1934]

sizing

"at the turn of the century, a girl's eligibility was said to be judged by the size of her waist - which should be "twice the circumference of her neck, which, in turn, should be twice the circumference of her wrist"

For some of the more petite women out there it is possible. But look what they ate! Linch was a sandwich (two slices of bread, a slice of ham, a slice of cheese) and a cup of coffee. I tried a forties rationing diet for a week and was astounded at how little it was, and i already do not eat alot. I have acheived the 31-22-33 figure with an 11 inch neck and 22 inch head. Needless to say, I dont expect it to last very long....