Anonymous wrote:

Everyone seemed so pencil thin back in those days.

Was it the fashions?

She is not pencil thin. In fact she could have starred in a Russ Meyer movie.

Anonymous wrote:I want that pink pinto

It's a Volvo and would be worth a nice sum of money today. The Pinto, not so much.

Anonymous wrote:The woman in the picture is certainly thinner than I am (but that's not saying much). However, I think compared to the average model/actress today, she'd be called plus-sized. So, while the average American is much fatter than they used to be, the commercial ideal is now much thinner than it used to be.

I think that model is likely more representative of what "most" women looked like then, weight wise. She was "realistic" for the time.

Now, most models are MUCH thinner than what "most" women look like---most women today don't feel they could realistically be the same size as the average model. This is both because models are thinner, but also the average woman is fatter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody was thinner. The average BMI for Americans has significantly increased in the last 40 years.

Definitely true, but odds are the model in an equivalent car add today would make the woman in the OP's picture look chunky.

So the models today are thinner but the average person today is heavier?

NP here. Yes.

When I see pictures of people, even celebrities, from the 60s-80s, it's amazing how normal they look. Skinny fat, basically. Definitely not toned- did anyone ever work out back then? (Born in 85). Soft arms, round hips and curves, definitely no abs. You had your rare Cher with her perfectly flat tummy and a Farrah here and there but everyone was so wonderfully, normally average. Even the general beauty standards- no veneers or blinding white teeth. Imperfect skin because there was no airbrush makeup and contouring. Frizzy hair.

Basically, people were much more natural back then, in all sorts of ways.

Anyone looks skinny standing next to a pink Pinto.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody was thinner. The average BMI for Americans has significantly increased in the last 40 years.

Definitely true, but odds are the model in an equivalent car add today would make the woman in the OP's picture look chunky.

So the models today are thinner but the average person today is heavier?

They were thinner.

Part of it was smoking and diet pills, but there was also less binging on tv and less availability of junk food. People rode bikes, played tennis. and danced more.

My mom was "heavy" and she was a size 10 after two kids. I'd love to be a 10.

The woman in the picture is certainly thinner than I am (but that's not saying much). However, I think compared to the average model/actress today, she'd be called plus-sized. So, while the average American is much fatter than they used to be, the commercial ideal is now much thinner than it used to be.

A lot of it was smoking and pills. I know in my grandma's generation there was lots of pill popping to keep the weight off.

Yes, people have gotten taller and much fatter.

The average woman is now the size of an average man from the 60s.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/12/look-at-how-much-weight-weve-gained-since-the-1960s/

Anonymous wrote:Everybody was thinner. The average BMI for Americans has significantly increased in the last 40 years.

Definitely true, but odds are the model in an equivalent car add today would make the woman in the OP's picture look chunky.

The waist line was slightly more forgiving. Like my mom always wore cute little crop tops in the 70s but the skirt portion cam up to her belly button and the top came a little past her ribs so you only saw like 3 inches of her stomach and the most flattering part. Today the jeans go down to your public line practically...although I heard high waist jeans are now back in style so what do I know. The people were thinner though too...but a lot of them smoked!

I want that pink pinto

Everybody was thinner. The average BMI for Americans has significantly increased in the last 40 years.

Everyone seemed so pencil thin back in those days.

Was it the fashions?