How Americas Ideal Butt Has Changed Over The Last Century

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Women's bodies have long been a source of inspiration and idealisation. Captured beautifully in art, cinema, and photography, there is nothing quite as alluring as the feminine form. But sadly there has also been a lot of scrutiny over the shape of women's bodies, and it has caused women to wish for a body they don't have. Just like all trends, there have been numerous trends surrounding what is considered appealing for a woman's body shape. We should all ditch these ideals and just love ourselves the way we are, but it's interesting to see how these beauty trends have evolved over time and how some of them circle right back around to repeat themselves. Unlike any other time in history, currently, women are being prompted to celebrate themselves exactly how they look at the moment. To love themselves and know they're enough regardless of their shape and size. We are enough no matter what our bodies look like. There are more body positive campaigns these days which is a wonderful thing to see. Every body contains it's own beauty, just like every tree looks different but they are each beautiful in their own way. As long as you're loving yourself and taking good care of yourself by focusing on healthy living, you're going to be much more satisfied than someone who is chasing after trends.

Bustle shares with us how the "ideal" butt has changed over the last 100 years, and it's pretty intriguing to see the evolution. Back in the early 1900s, a rounder bottom was also coveted by women, and it was how the women in drawings were drawn in clothing. By the 1920s though, women's behinds were barely there, and resembled more of a manly figure. In the 1930s, Hollywood's Golden Age, a slightly more curvy figure was in vogue, think Jean Harlow. There were even diet pills created at this point in history that actually helped women gain weight to get the bottom they wanted. In the 1940s, angular, strong shapes were the in thing, because women were working outside of the house more often due to the war. By the 1950s, Marylin Monroe lead the trends of being majorly curvy and voluptuous. Women even had hip and bottom padding available at that time to make them appear rounder. Yet a small waist was always expected to accompany a larger bust and a larger booty.

Things took a different turn in the 1960s, when Twiggy was all the rage, and all the ladies wanted to look just like her. Just as her name entails, she was stick thin and brought the mini skirt into style. A more adolescent figure was ideal then, and curves were out for the moment. Jump into the 1970s, and women's figures were supposed to be fit and slightly curvy, much like Farrah Faucett who was the "it" girl of the era. The 1980s were very similar, and encouraged a very athletic build in a woman. Fitness tapes and shows were all the rage and aerobics were a great way to get the ideal body type of the time. The 90s were kind of all over the place with the ideal body type, there was JLo with her perfect round butt, and then there were the heroin chic supermodel types as well. And now that we're into the 2000s, it seems like big booties are back in with Kim Kardashian and Niki Minaj being the moguls of the moment. Body ideals are always changing, so it's wise just to love the body you've got and take care of it with healthy living habits instead of focusing on beauty trends.***

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