15. “The Gibson Girl” Showed the Ideal Woman
An artist named Charles Dana Gibson created illustrations for Life Magazine, and he was remembered for the iconic women he always drew. These ladies had their hair piled on top of their head, and they were often wearing sleeveless, form-fitting dresses. They had perfect hourglass figures and flawless faces. They were often elegant, beautiful, fragile, and voluptuous. They were basically the perfect woman that a man would imagine marrying some day. They became known as “The Gibson Girls”.
It was so successful, many other artists actually tried to copy the Gibson Girl style in attempts to sell their products, too. One of the key features of a Gibson Girl was that she was attractive without being vulgar. Even fully clothed, they was just something about these women that were very alluring to the eyes, and future artists tried to recreate that in their own work when they began to draw pin-up girls.