The Spinal Analysis: Fashionable Postures From the 1900s S Curve to Today’s Tech Necks Inline
Photos: Monica Feudi / Indigital.tv; Irving Penn, Vogue, September, 19521/13From left: Balenciaga, Fall 2016; Sunny Harnett, 1952
Photo: Camille Clifford: Bettmann / Getty Images2/131900s
Posture: The S-Curve, or Pouter Pigeon
Attainable only with a corset, this posture was characterized by a protruding, rounded bosom and derriere. In 1901, the Los Angeles Herald linked proper carriage to “Delsarte principles [a method of acting/movement]—head well up, chest out, abdomen held well back, back quite deeply indented.” It was threatened by the so-called kangaroo walk adopted by more liberated women who favored the man-tailored blouses and stricter skirts of the Gibson Girl.
Photo: Eve Lavalliere: Apic / Getty Images3/131910s
Posture: Exclamation Point
The raised waistline of the columnar Directoire line demanded “high chests, broad shoulders, and flat stomachs.” This uncorseted look was often achieved with the help of stays that contained rather than trained the waist. Political events contributed to women’s new stance in this era. “Military Figure Is Here; Avaunt, Slouch!” was the headline of a 1915 article, which explained that “the call to arms electrified women as well as men. Presto! Fashions must have more dash, vim, and vigor—and the result is straight lines and an erect vibrant figure.”
Photo: Eve Lavalliere: Apic / Getty Images4/131920s
Posture: Debutante Slouch
The C-shaped slouch was taken up with enthusiasm by the unfettered, dance-mad, Jazz Age flapper who slunk around with “shoulders hunched, her chest caved in, and her spine bent over in a curve.” “Corset buyers and fitters still remember, with a feeling somewhat akin to horror,” reported a contemporary industry paper, “the vogue of the ‘debutante slouch’ and the ‘panther glide,’ which came into fashion along with the tango and maxixe.”
Photo: Jean Harlow: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images5/131930s
Posture: Backwards Slash
“Smart Women Have Discarded the Debutante Slouch” declared one 1933 headline, a fact corroborated by another contemporary report that stated that “women no longer stand with hips out and stomach in. They stand poised and straight, and wearing the new hats, they perch their heads coyly.” The icon of the age was the poised Hollywood star dressed in long, slim dresses, many with low backs or dramatic sleeves, and who often stood with a slight backward lean, or added drama to their stance by placing their hands on their slim hips.
