Take a look at old photos from the 1950s and what do you notice about the women? With few exceptions they are thin. Their waists are tiny! What’s up with that? How did they stay fit and trim? What has changed in the past half century? I decided to do a little research.
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Fit and Trim the 1950s Way
A few statistics
According to the CDC the average American woman now weighs as much as the average man did in 1960. Both sexes have gained almost an inch in height but that doesn’t begin to account for the 18.5% gain that women have experienced. Men are now 17.6% heavier so they haven’t escaped this problem, either.
And those tiny waists of the ’50s? They were an average of six inches smaller than that of today’s woman. If you happen to like vintage fashions you’ve likely noticed this.
Approximately 10% of the American population was classified as obese in the 1950s. The current rate is over 35%.
What has changed?
There’s a difference between causation and correlation. Just because two things occur together doesn’t necessarily mean one caused the other. I was the only one in my nursing class who actually enjoyed our nursing research and statistics courses so I won’t bore you with a lengthy discussion about this. Just keep in mind that the things I’m about to list here may or may not have actually caused the spike in obesity since the ’50s. However, I do think they are worth considering.
- While fast food meals were a rare treat in the 1950s, today approximately 20% of American meals are eaten in the car.
- Portion sizes have increased.
- The average calorie intake has increased by 300-400 calories per day.
- Sugar intake has increased nearly 40%.
- More meat; fewer eggs.
- Less milk; more cheese.
- More time spent watching television.
- Less time spent doing housework.
The typical 1950s American woman – diet and exercise
So what does it all mean? Well, in purely biological terms, weight gain is a result of consuming more calories than one expends in daily activity. Sure, there are other factors than can influence one’s weight but for the purposes of this discussion, the average American woman in the 1950s was slimmer because she ate less and burned more calories in her daily activities.
No, she wasn’t hitting the gym. Even Jack LaLanne‘s exercise television program wasn’t nationally syndicated until 1959.
Instead, she burned calories doing housework. Women today spend less than half as much time on housework as the typical 1950s woman. All those labor-saving devices may actually be contributing to extra inches around our waists.
But what about women today who DO go to the gym or workout at home but are still overweight? The other major piece of the puzzle is diet.
I grew up on the Basic Four Food Groups nutrition guide in the 60s and 70s but in the ’50s we had the Basic Seven Foods:
It is surprisingly difficult to locate a typical menu from the 50s. If you find some, please share in the comments. I finally found this:
Goodness. That is SO different from how most of us eat today. As I discovered in my research, adults actually drank glasses of milk. My dad still does but I inherited my mom’s lactose sensitivity so you won’t see me drinking milk. Ever. I can tolerate small amounts in tea and coffee. And I’m fine with yogurt or cheese. But a glass of milk? Not for me, thanks!
The other thing I noticed is that lunches were more like mini-dinners. No sandwiches and chips or fast food burgers here. I’m guessing those meat servings were leftovers. I can’t imagine cooking myself a pork chop for lunch. And this was obviously before the misguided concern about the cholesterol in eggs. Now we know that dietary cholesterol isn’t the big heart health risk we were told it was and eggs are making their way back onto the menu. This is something I may adopt. Especially if I decided to raise chickens again!
Finally, check those recommended calorie counts. No wonder they were slim!
What to do with this information
I’ve been planning to do a weekly menu featuring typical 1950s recipes. Perhaps I should go all out and try eating like a 1950s woman for a week. Minus the glasses of milk, of course.
Update: I did, in fact do a 1950s menu and we ate it for a week:
And here were my thoughts on the experience:
What I Learned From Our Vintage 1950s Menu
And since I’ve been gearing up to do some Spring cleaning anyway, I could follow a typical 1950s housewife cleaning schedule, too.
Or maybe I’ll just read more about this interesting topic. Research is always more fun than doing – ha!
A few articles:
Eating and Menu Planning 1950s Style
I Spent a Week as a ’50s Housewife and Here’s What My Pretty Little Head Learned
You may also enjoy these older posts of mine:
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American Women Didn’t Get Fat in the 1950s
There is a menu from 1946 on pages 148-149 of a book about a famous Philadelphia department store: Wanamaker’s Meet Me At The Eagle by Michael J. Lisicky, 2010, History Press.
Thanks!
I have a 1950s cookbook by butter home and gardens and they have sample menus/menu planning help in the front of the book.
That’s one of the things I love about many of the older cookbooks. From what I see on Facebook and Instagram, many people don’t know how to put together a balanced meal. In fact, this is something I’ve been thinking I should write about here on the blog. It might be helpful.
All these things certainly contribute, but I don’t think we can admire their skinny waists without speaking about the underpinnings that cinched their small waists even tighter ?
Good point. I’m sure that helped.
Not to mention the meth. Women before this time period were much curvier.
https://scibabe.com/mos-the-meth-fueled-1950s-housewives/
Very interesting! I’m going to ask my mom what she and her friends did, but right away I know she’d mention: more people smoked. That will keep your weight down! Also, they did not snack like we do. Or drink giant sugar-filled drinks all day long. Three squares a day, and even dessert with dinner, but not a bunch of extra food. I can remember that when I was growing up in the 60s, my family and our friends just didn’t snack like we did now. A bowl of popcorn in the evening was a major, infrequent treat.
Nobody in my family smoked but I’m sure that was a factor for many. You’re absolutely right about all the snacking and sugar-filled drinks. And I think fast food consumption plays a big role, too.
Another major contributor of not just the weight gain but also so many of our health problems that lead to the need to take different medications is that so much of our food today is heavily processed and modified. This wasn’t the case in the 50’s so people didn’t have the weight gain and health issues we have today. Through research I have found out that my fibromyalgia is due to the modification of the wheats and grains that are in so many of the foods we eat today. I too suffer with weight gain but believe that changing our diets and daily habits is key to our own success.
I do believe that definitely plays a role.
I love that you are so interested in helping people think critically about maintaining a healthy temple. Since embarking on my own fitness journey, I realized that diet is everything when we are trying to lean out our bodies. Processed foods, snacking, sugary drinks, huge portions and not considering caloric and macronutrient intake is why most Westerners are becoming obese. I haven’t checked the CDC statistics to see if there is data about overweight adults but there are many who may not qualify as obese whose BMI’s are leading them into diabetes, cardio-vascular issues and a variety of other health disorders. Thanks for being so honest and encouraging to everyone – hopefully your thoughts will sparkling change in hearts and minds who want to live more fully. I have never been happier since adopting a new lifestyle and would recommend living healthy to everyone.
Great post! And all so very true!
Hi, Holly. Did you used to have a blog about 50’s housewife? I used to read it pretty regular but then the last couple of years our life has changed and I did not get to keep up with many blogs. I was just thinking of yours the other day but cannot seem to find it again. One of the things I enjoyed reading was the 1950’s diet you were following (I think). Anyway, forgive me if I am mistaken. Best blessings, Lori
Hi. I was born in 1955, so I really don’t have memories until around 1959 or 1960 of what my mom was up to that kept her so slim. I suspect it was similar to what I can remember post 1959, and the #1 difference in life now and life back then was, in my childhood We Never Went Out to Eat. It just wasn’t considered necessary. My grandparents had a little farm and we got vegetables and beef from them, and we also ate tons of soup beans and cornbread. (We kids did drink a lot of Kool-Aid in the summer, and my mom drank sweetened iced tea, but that was only for about three months of the year.) I think we would have been considered lower middle class at the time. Dad worked and, Mom didn’t go to work until we were all in elementary school in the mid-60s. We still never went out to eat even when she started working. We did not begin to go out to eat until my siblings and I were attending the same college in another town in the ’70s, and my parents came to town for visits and took us to a steakhouse. My mom is 87 now and has always taken a lot of pride in her appearance and has a pants size she refuses to go beyond, I think a size 8. I was that thin for years too, but in my 40s, after being divorced a decade, I met my now-husband and we went out on a lot of dates to restaurants. He was thin too, but we both put on 20-plus pounds over the next couple of years. He has lost 12 of his, but I have only lost about five. We now only go out once a week and try to stick to healthy choices and no softdrinks. One more thing about back in the old days — in my entire childhood we lived in houses that were two stories with the bedrooms on the top floor and the laundry area and family room in the basement, so my mom and the rest of us had to make a lot of trips up and down stairs. I don’t remember my mom actively doing exercise until she and my dad were in their 50s, and they started walking.
I totally agree that going out to eat can really be a big issue, especially since portion sizes have become huge. We are trying to reduce our meals out. I like to cook and usually plan meals for the whole week but we so often end up with activities that take us out of the house at dinnertime or include a meal out. It’s definitely a challenge.
I am at times amazed that people today have to be shown basic housekeeping skills, I’m only in my 50’s, but I do remember that even though my mom worked part time, the house was kept up, she cooked, canned, sewed. I work more than my mom or mother-in- law ever did outside of the house, but still keep,our home decent. Believe it or not…but many teenagers I work with question why cooking, sewing, basic household repair, etc., aren’t even taught at school anymore. They would love to take classes…and no, not just the girls either. Pretty sad when you have to show a 30 something person how to make a bed or wash and fold sheets..or how to use a pan to fry eggs…really? What happened? And eat out? Nope, didn’t that very much either..I mean really people, ‘they’ have to pass laws to restrict drink size because people can’t figure out to just drink less pop on their own to better their health…..talk about the dumbing down of people….
When I started college back in 1980 I lived in the dorms for a semester. I taught more than one girl how to operate a washing machine. I was astounded. One of the things I’d like to do is create some very basic homemaking and cooking resources to help those who somehow never learned these things.
Having grown up as a 50’s aficionado and gathering data from my mother, calories and burning them are getting too much credit. In the 1940’s people learned to live with rations and get by on less due to the war. Fun fact: ration stamps also went to buy clothes. So you often had to choose between food or clothing. It’s true that young women often went out on dates just to get a meal. Girdles were extremely popular and generally had the effect of a corset. My grandmother had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, and 2 slices of bacon each morning yet her figure and weight never lapsed, not even as decades passed.
A lot of medications were created in the 50’s and not marketed until the early to mid 60’s, So most people weren’t on medications with side effects. What else has changed? High fructose corn syrup didn’t exist back then. Neither did Monsanto or GMO foods. Housekeeping didn’t take that much time. No one vacuumed daily or cleaned behind the fridge. And I’ve done the 3 meals a day routine from scratch (my mom insisted we learn). I don’t recall burning a lot of calories reading a cookbook or using a rolling pin. Most homes at least had washing machines, although not always a dryer, or a TV. My other grandmother was considered not thin or fat but large and she had a wash board.
They used real sugar back then. Fast food chains were rare, There were fewer food choices in supermarkets. The TV dinner came out in 1952 but was geared towards bachelors. All of the the things listed above were factors. You usually sewed too and cared for your own children so without a TV or a PC or smartphone there were fewer sedentary activities. You always had your hands full with something.
There’s certainly no one answer. LOTS of things factor into the equation, as you mention.
I watch mostly “ retro” televison and have fallen in love with the 1950s woman! ( up until the obvious examples of their “ liberation” and hollywood recasting men as idiots)
There was pride in being a homemaker and raising a family. And being fit woman.
Whats changed? You got some replies of the obvious; corn fructose sugar, new medications that are pushed, and the “its ok to be fat and lazy” montra and “ thin body shaming” of the last 20 years.
But most damage was obviously done in the 1960-70s.
When I watch a TV show from evn the 1970s, It amazes me to hear a woman in a restraunt order a cottage cheese salad for her lunch because she has “ gained a few pounds and is up to 110 lbs”.
I can only dream of ever meeting a woman of the 1950s, putting my hands around her waist and having a small gap between my them.
As you noted, even health concsous woman of today lack the 1950s figure. Three generations of bad governmet health advice, chemicals, drugs, lifestyle and poor sleeping habits have seemingly been bred into the woman of today (and men are just as bad)
I was born in 1971 , all the women during the 1970s I remember ladied were very slim, fashion concious, etc.Food portions were much more sensible, fast food the utter exception not the rule. I moved to Europe ( where most are still very slim compared to US Americans. Food portions here are smaller, snacking is much less, much more water consumed than soda, “real” food preferred to processed, less stress, more time walking and bicyclING than driving everyehere, more time spent outdoors. Everytime I visit the US its almost as if there is a universal “oral fixation”- so many people walking around with jumbo coffees, dodas, snacks in hand, etc. It’s always a culture shock….not to mention the huge diet industry. Honestly, after seeing the comparison the US would be well served to just have a normal relationship with food no extremes one way or the othrr. I am 5 foot 7 and weight 101 pounds-ghastly in the US normal for hereband I eat lovely food 3 times a day….but GMOS and lots of hormones (bovine) are banned here. I eat butter, eggs, cream, cheese….eveRuthin but nothing processed
Love to cook especially Mediterranean and Israeli foods,
sensible portions. I really think a lot of problems would be solved in the US if people would just eat normal portions, stop the junk, and decide to move around a bit more. Another reason is maybe ( silly as it sounds) if in the US they would get out of their stretchy sweat clothes ( which are considered on the par with pj’s in Europe) and had to always fit in sensible clothes maybe they wouldn’t let themselves “go” so easily. I love the US but what people do to their bodies there( one extreme or the other) is tragic.
I absolutely agree that a more European relationship with food is the way to go. Not always easy in this culture, but definitely healthier than the extremes we so often see here.
I so agree with you! I’m 64 years old and am still shocked to see people dress the way they do to go out in public. I even see girls in house shoes with their hair piled up in a bun that looks like a two year old did their hair for them. Of course they are going to eat more dressed in elastic waists. You never hear anyone say I can’t eat any more unless I unbutton my pants etc. They don’t seem to have any self respect any more. Or maybe it’s too much self respect and they think they are so wonderful it doesn’t matter how they dress. I miss the more formal 50’s and 60’s?♀️ Who knows why it has changed so drastically. I hope one day the pendulum swings a little way back to nice a looking style.
I try not to be judgmental about others’ appearance…really I do…but I can’t help thinking some people have really taken comfort too far. And it’s possible to be comfortable but still look attractive and put together. To each his/her own, I suppose but I do think people would feel better about themselves if they put a little effort into their appearance.
I find wearing dresses and skirts are more comfortable than pants. I try to dress like I’m a 50’s wife. I’m 33:years old with 5 kids. I homeschool and I take care of all domestic duties. I’m a size 10 but I’m working in getting down to a size 8. As I actually lost almost an inch and a half of height with age(crazy!) So I try to stay at a healthy BMI. due to economic reasons we rarely eat out. I try to do organic as much as possible but it’s do expensive!! Next year I have determined I’m doing my own garden, all organic. And I’m going to can. I do believe it’s GMO and hormones in the meat that are contributing to weight gain the most. Humans aren’t made to eat that junk!
I absolutely agree that dresses and skirts are more comfortable! Organics do cost more but they do seem to be more affordable than they used to be. I think there are a number of reasons for the increase in obesity and the quality of our food is likely one of them.
Valerie, I’m only 50 and I agree with you completely. I was watching “what not to wear” years ago and the male co-star/host made an excellent statement about the deplorable increase in “the casualization of america.” We bought into the boho peasant look and never thought about how dress affects self esteem and the way one presents oneself. I also think the stress of our attempts to “have it all” and be a career woman with a family divides us such that our priorities conflict and we get so caught up in trying to attain that unattainable goal to perfection that we fail to take care of ourselves which would in turn help us take care of our families without it being to our detriment.
It’s not a change in self-image. It’s just the instinct to look like everyone else. Clothes have been getting less formal every generation since 1960 at the latest, and I remember in my 30s dressing up, I thought, very prim and fancy, in the early 2000s, and my grandmother saying I looked like I was ready to go to the barn. I just couldn’t see what she meant until I learned how her generation prized their New Look fashions and worked on their hair before they even had breakfast — unless they were going to the barn.
Great article! Thank you!
The New American Cookbook has a complete diet plan. I was just gathering some info before trying it myself when I came across this site. Some other cookbooks from the 1940s and 1950s also contain diets.
I’ve been thinking about trying one of the diet plans from the 50s. If you try it, let me know which one you used and how it went.
Women in the 50s smoked to avoid eating
Approximately 25% of women smoked in 1955. I’m sure that played a role for those who did.
Hi! I know this is super late, but wanted to share my own experiences as a younger person. I’m 26. My mother raised me after she lived in poverty, I lived in poverty, and my grandparents were very old growing up..they both lived through the Depression. Because of this, I learned to make a bed, operate a washing machine, cook, clean, put clothes on the line, etc. Because we were poor, we ate out a lot and I have put on weight, even to now, despite me not going out to eat as much, eliminating processed foods, and exercising pretty regularly. I’m 4 ft 8..so it’s difficult for me to find what my caloric range is. I read above that people are slowly losing the skills to do basic things and I find that sad. We should all strive to be more self sustaining..especially with finances the way they are today.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. You are fortunate to have learned those skills. I was stunned to find out that some of my sorority sisters had never operated a washing machine before. This was back in 1980 and I suspect that might be even more common today. As for the weight issue, I truly struggle with that, especially since menopause. I was slim until my kids were about 2 and 5 and I went to nursing school. I think it was stress and poor eating habits that started the issue.
This was a good read! People were much more about DIY so they needed to be active and exert more energy.
I know that on the few occasions I’ve done a “day in the life” – 50s style I’ve been exhausted at the end of the day.
Thanks for sharing! Our diet plays such a big role, but I think it also comes from being about to afford more. Living on one income makes the budget and portions tighter.
That’s a good point I hadn’t considered. It would be interesting to see how average food costs of the 1950s compare to current times, adjusted for inflation.
Good article! I have given that phenomenon a lot of thought myself. I thought of two more reasons. First, we eat a lot more bread than they did. True, they had cereal, toast, and sandwishes, but, we eat all of that plus Subway, other fast food hamburgers, pizza, The Olive Garden, The Macaroni Grill, speaking of which we eat a lot more mac n cheese, and anything else that is fast and easy. Because our lives are far more hectic than the lives of the 1950s woman. Most women did not work – they were stay at home moms and wives. They could easily spend an hour in the kitchen preparing the right kind of food. However, the 1950s was the era of the TV dinner. People stayed home and did not go out as much and they watched TV on TV trays eating TV dinners. That was portion control. Also, because women did not work, they had less stress and less stress hormones which we all know makes you gain weight. And finally, everyone in the country ate meals at the same time. If it was 12 noon, you knew that whoever you were calling was going to be eating lunch. And if you were calling someone at 6 pm, you knew that they would be eating dinner. Everyone in the country was on the same schedule – like clockwork. That regulation helped the body to metabolize food better, the body was more efficient, also people didn’t snack between meals because they didn’t get hungry until it was “dinner time.” Now we eat whenever we want – there are no set rules. But that freedom does put more stress on our metabolism.
You make several good points. There is no single answer but, as you say, several factors involved.
people also didn’t go around sucking on a coffee or other high calorie drinks all day long…in the car…in the subway…walking down the street. People can’t go anywhere without constantly guzzling something – it’s unheard of these days. We would actually sit down at the table at home or in a restaurant and have a coffee in a civilized manner, not drag it around like an intervenes drip
I’m very confused about where you got the idea that because this one diet plan shows people eating eggs daily that’s supposed to mean there’s proof that cholesterol from eggs don’t cause a risk to heart health.
First of all because it’s just one diet plan and that’s not enough to assume this is what everyone was eating every day.
More importantly because yes, in the early part of the 20th century people ate a lot of eggs and red meat, and smoked cigarettes, and there were massively high rates of heart disease. Then, in the late 20th century scientists proved a link between dietary cholesterol and heart disease, as well as smoking and heart disease. As people started to decrease dietary cholesterol and smoking the rates of heart disease declined. We already know they were eating this way, and scientists have shown this was, in fact, a huge risk to heart health. How does discovering an old diet plan and saying “see, they ate a lot of eggs” prove otherwise?’
According to the Heart Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Harvard School of Public Health, the Framington Study and others, dietary cholesterol is not the issue once thought. That is why the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg. a day.
In the late 20th Century scientists only proved a link between low density cholesterol (trans fats) and heart disease, they have never been able to proved a link between high density cholesterol and heart disease (animal fats). In fact, there have been more independent studies in the 21st Century showing the benefits of animal fats. Anything eaten in excess will have detrimental effects, but animal fats have been eaten for thousands of years, and it was not until the food industry started manipulating our diet for larger profit margins that real food of past generations were demonized.
I was born in 1950, graduated from high school in 1968 and college in 1972. During those years I do not remember weight gain and obesity to be an issue, Once in awhile you might come across an obese person, but it was rare. People were never as grossly obese as I’ve seen some people today. Every time I see an obese person having to shop for groceries while riding a motorized cart provided by the store I am amazed. I see whole families eating out together and every member, children included, are obese. And I mean obese, not just overweight. Many people can’t seem to control their portions or calories. And when they are so obese regular exercise becomes an uncomfortable chore. I gained weight when my mother took her own life in 1988 when I was 38 years old. I gained 20 pounds then and 20 pounds more when my father died 4 years later due to smoking and the severe stress of dealing with my mother’s death. Now menopause, health issues (fibromyalgia) and the effects of medications has kept me 40 to 50 pounds heavier than I was at my wedding in 1973. Three pregnancies between 1975 and 1981 did not make me heavy, but stress eating did. Now at 69 years of age I battle being 5’4” and weighing 204 pounds. I should weigh no more than 160 pounds at most for my age. Life happens, stress happens, but obesity doesn’t have to be part of the equation.
I’m a little younger (born in 1962) but I agree with your observations. When I was in school there might be one or two “chubby” kids in each class but nothing like what we see today. I’m also right there with you on the weight thing. I gained weight in nursing school back in the early 90s, took it off in an unhealthy way and then gained it back due to medications (frequent steroid use for severe asthma). And then menopause hit. Yikes. I’m working on it, though, and have taken off about 10 pounds in the past few months. Still have a long way to go…
My mother told me that most women smoked during this time which also help them keep their weight down and appetites. They also had access through their doctors to get medications to help with fatigue that are no longer on the market due to their addictive qualities. Not sure how much this impacted everyone but my mom was from a rural community and her response surprised me! I suppose that sort of info in not really in the common 50s magazines, is it?
Oh, I’m sure smoking and pills were a huge *help* to many. On the other hand, not everyone indulged in these and most were still slimmer than our average today. There are likely many pieces to the puzzle.
I had the same thoughts about the amount of milk consumed by adults in the sample menus.
I imagine there was no Lactaid back then, and it no longer works for me, not even the Lactaid milk.
My gastroenterologist diagnosed me with lactose intolerance when I was 22, and I probably had it even before that.
For a few years, I was able to handle soy milk, which I never saw in the 20th century, but that quit being digestible for me soon enough. So now, I can handle almond milk.
The doctor told me at 22 to eat yogurt, and that it would be digestible because of the active cultures, but it made me just as uncomfortable with trapped intestinal gas pressure.
Now that Activia is available, I have found that it is the only probiotic that I can handle.
And I’m 4 years post menopausal and will be hitting the big 5 0 next month, so I’m curious to try out the meal plan in the illustration for the city housewife over 50, which is what I am anyway, child free by choice and a curmudgeonly retired husband. But I will use my almond milk and Activia as substitutes, and get to enjoy eating eggs more often than I have.
I wonder if fewer people were lactose intolerant in the past or if they just suffered but didn’t know why. Fortunately I can handle yogurt and cheese. Although I definitely do better with my homemade yogurt. I really should get back to making my own again.
If there was unknown health issues people suffered from. Most was put in time Asylums ( mental hospital). I read fewer people had Fibromyalgia, but was treated as crazy. Most doctors still treat people like this.
Yes all of the items you have mentioned are true as a contributor to weight gain, but my mom and mother in law (born in 1927) have both confirmed that their doctors prescribed methamphedmines so that they had more energy and were less likely to eat. They also drank alcohol instead of eating. They ate a small dinner salad for dinner and not much else. Maybe a scoop of cottage cheese for lunch.
Yes, diet pills were pretty commonly prescribed so that certainly played a part for some women.
my mom had The Modern Family Cookbook that has a year’s worth of menus in it
I love those old cookbooks with menus!
One thing that wasn’t mentioned was that many women in the fifties also smoked. Instead of reaching for a snack they smoked. Of course at the time they didn’t know it caused cancer but it did affect their weight. I still think it is the restaurants who contribute to this. They give these giant portions so they can charge big prices. We went out to dinner in the fifties but you had a small glass. You had a reasonable size portion. I rarely eat my whole meal when going out. I always get a take out box.
It’s true that around 25% of women smoked in the 50s and for them it likely did play a role in staying slim. Some took diet pills, too. And you’re right about restaurant meal sizes being much smaller. Even in the 60s and 70s when I was growing up the portion sizes were much smaller. There are a large number of factors at play.
I was born in 1955. We did not eat out a lot, that was a treat. My mom did not work until we were in middle school. My mom always had a fantastic figure & I noticed in the 70s that she only ate one meal a day: dinner with us. She did smoke & had coffee during the day. Unfortunately, being Cuban, we were not raised to include vegetables & grains in our diet. The meals were catered to the old man. Meals always had bread, white rice, potatoes & a meat or chicken (more meat), very little fish. We also had a lot of processed foods & frozen foods on hand. But they were strict with no beverages during a meal., only milk was allowed.
That’s interesting that your mom just ate one meal a day. There’s a whole diet method about just that – One Meal A Day or OMAD.
That was very interesting and helpful,I think that is right ,I was thinking in decreasing the over weight of me and my girls with out deprivation ,and thought of 50s why they were slim inspite of versatile menues on lunch and dinner and you answered the question ,I got tired of dieting , and made sleeve gastrectomy ,but I donot want my daughters to have it ,cause I started to get weight again after 4 years and it is dangerous after all ,thanks alot for the post .
My mother, a fifties housewife and many of her friends and even doctors took amphetamines. They were prescribed to help with weight loss. My mom talked about how much she accomplished and how much energy she had. In 1962, she read about how they could be dangerous so quit taking them. I was in kindergarten that year and every picture of her that year she was pretty much sleeping. Trust me, women struggled with weight even back then.
This.
As another commentor mentioned, the women in the drawings and photos you shared are all wearing girdles. The 1950s style was to pinch in the waist to a painful degree. Yes, we’re heavier now as a population (the book Ultra-Processed People tells a fascinating story of the role of processed food in this trajectory), but most of the photos we see from the 50s are of models and actresses. Women in those careers today are every bit as thin, and often thinner than the women who held fashion and acting jobs in days of yore. And their waist to hip ratio isn’t as extreme today because they’re not wearing corsets or girdles. My great grandmothers were all portly ladies in the 50s and my mom, a teen in the 50s who walked to school, did half the housework as the oldest kid and ate every meal at home, was too. Yes, more people have overweight now, but relying on fashion models and actresses as examples of typical womanhood gives a skewed view.
I stumbled across this, and agree with other commenters. During that time period so many women smoked, drank coffee, and took diet pills, and wore girdles. This was before ‘slimming’ pantyhose. My mom differed from my friends’ moms as she always worked outside the home. My mom and her sisters were very conscious of gaining weight. They were careful of what they ate, and always exercised. We never had fast food, and my dad didn’t allow us to drink soft drinks or eat white bread, telling us it wasn’t healthy. We are Mexican so when we did eat out it was often at a taqueria which typically served small portions. In fact, most restaurants back then served far smaller portions.
Restaurant portions were definitely smaller, even in the 60s and 70s when I grew up. My mom and aunts didn’t smoke, take diet pills or drink coffee (One aunt drank a single cup in the morning) and yet were all slim. There is no single answer.
I’m 35 and I don’t work because I’m very busy at home I have 3 kids my husband works I love being at home taking care my kids cooking keeping the home clean I think I was meant to be like that cooking healthy good recipes I hate fast food and frozen meals .I can’t imagine going to work who would take care my kids,do laudry,cook for my family? Also on my free time I work out,play with my kids ,take care myself or chill I’m not a fan of the 50s..but I think i relate more to that lifestyle