Models as musees

The exhibition at Met features the ideal female bodies through the last century, from goddess in 1940s to the grunge in 1990s. Let's take a look at two women that epitomizes the drastic change of body image in half a century.

Audrey Hepburn: the goddess


Classical, elegant, intelligent ... a woman from high society with good education and upbringing.

Though she has a slim cigar in the mouth, a fad in the 50s and probably considered a rebel at her time, she looks like to have a "silver spoon" in her mouth, instead of cigar.

Audrey has a long neck and poses like a swan. The outfit with a floor-length hem, a bateau neckline and long sleeve up to the upper arm (another fashion in her time) covers her body with modesty. Though the silhouette accentuates her waistline, it is not high-voltage charged. No boob and hips protruding.

The jewelry head pin and necklace reinforced her status that belongs to the luxury and leisure beyond the reach of the mass.



Kate Moss: the grunge

Contemporary, sexy and rebellious... a woman from the common with street sophistication.

After the youthquake in the 1960s and the power suit in the 1980s, women are no longer as domesticated and docile as they used to be. She dares to expose more of her body and pose in a way that loses balance or composure. You can call it "laid-back" or "I don't care a shit"? But it is a willful pose with an iota of spontaneity.

See how the one-shoulder one-sleeve dress show and conceal her body? The neckline almost dips to one inch above her nipple. And the short-short hemline reveals the whole length of legs all the way to the butt.

Note

Both women are European but made big impact on American fashion and female image. So it is far to label the entry as America.