Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
History of Fashion: HOW TO MARRY a MILLIONAIRE 1953 (Monroe)
History of Fashion: How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy set in New York City starring Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall, directed by Jean Negulesco. The costumes of the film, as designed by Charles Le Maire, showcase the 'New Look' popularized by Christian Dior. The 'New Look' (as exemplified most prominently in the red, full-skirted gown worn by Marilyn Monroe in a scene set in a powder room) featured sweeping skirts, a tiny cinched waist, and an exaggerated bosom. It was an ultra-feminine ideal that stood in stark contrast to the more practical, comfortable, and androgynous appearance of World War II fashion. The style of the New Look was far more restrictive and made women look more like artificial adornments than the ideal of 'Rosie the Riveter.' Women during the era were being encouraged to go back home, give up the work they had embraced during wartime, and have children. With Dior's "soft shoulders, waspy waists and full flowing...
The clothing was difficult to walk in, and was considerably more expensive and ornate than the clothing of the past, to suit the postwar affluence of America.
The message of How to Marry a Millionaire and its embrace of the New Look are conjoined. The three female protagonists are all obsessed with finding wealthy husbands. None of them are interested in meaningful work. During the film, although they are reproached for seeking to marry for money, none of them are chastised for failing to seek meaningful employment and attempting to find a life outside of the sphere of men. "In peacetime those women were expected to return to passive roles as housewives and mothers, leaving their jobs free for the returning soldiers. The official paradigm of post-war womanhood was a capable, caring housewife who created a happy home for her husband and children. Dior's 'flower women' fitted…
Works Cited
"Christian Dior." The Design Museum. [20 Mar 2012]
http://designmuseum.org/design/christian-dior
But Mary and her husband, living in the Dublin section of Paterson, launched an Italian-language newspaper (the Italian Voice); there were about 42,000 Italians living in Paterson at the time, Burstyn writes. Mary and her husband also started the Colonial Sentinel (carrying legal notices and news in English) and in their papers they featured women of Italian descent on the front page (Burstyn, 231). But by the 1940s the Augusto
However, once it became clear that this would entail tremendous amounts of sacrifice, is when many women began to start working in positions left behind by men. During the course of the war, they began to have a sense of satisfaction from their contributions that they were making. While at the same time, these individuals had new found sense of liberation with their new roles. Once this occurred, it
Rosie the RiveterRosie the Riveter was not a real woman, but rather a cultural icon that represented the many women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II. The term "Rosie the Riveter" was coined in a 1942 song of the same name, and the image of a woman wearing a bandana and flexing her arm became widely associated with the cultural icon. Although the image was not
Women felt oppressed and men felt the need to take back their pre-war status as head of the household. These dynamics created a power-play between men and women that eventually culminated with the Women's Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Men struggled to retain their power, while women struggled to recapture what they had a taste of in the 1940s. Although most of the women of the Women's Liberation
Representations of War in the Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan Hollywood's depictions and interpretations of the events that transpired on D-Day have long captured the attention of audiences worldwide. Though Hollywood depictions of the events that occurred prior, during, and after the invasion of Normandy may vary, they still aim to convey a similar message, one that assures the evil forces in the world will be overthrown and the
Lessons Magazines of the Late 1940s and 1950s Taught Women About Dating and Marriage? The objective of this study is to examine magazine articles from popular women's magazines in the 1940s and 1950s and answer the question of what these magazines taught women about marriage and dating. The 1940s and 1950s were decades that were characterized by change and expansion in the roles of women in society. Popular magazines of these two