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5 Vintage Myths

April 15, 2015
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I’ve been into “vintage style” for quite some time now.

From back in the days when I liked a prom dress and a pair of lady like shoes and to dream that I could *really* dress like I was in an old movie. To the days when I discovered that there WERE people who always dressed like they were in an old movie. To learning to pin curl my hair and wearing it like that ALL THE TIME, to the days when I discovered you couldn’t wear a helmet for Roller Derby 3 days a week and keep up pretty pin curls. Behind all that has been a love of history, a fascination with the way Women lived their lives and how they chose to dress.

Today “vintage” has evolved in the popular imagination into some kind of bizarre mix of 40s victory rolls, floral 50s prom dresses, contrast seamed stockings, red lipstick, cupcakes and bunting. If I had any skills in that direction at all I would sketch a cool yet amusing picture of your stereotypical vintage gal. Unfortunately I don’t have any skills in that direction, but hey, why let that stop me?

vintage gal

I think that’s actually quite a cute outfit, in fact it looks a little like the outfit I wore out to lunch on Friday, minus the victory rolls. Whilst as a look that has it’s place, it seems to play right into the hands of the Daily Mail “I decorated my house all vintage so I could have my husbands slippers ready when he got home from work” vintage stereotype and sometimes it’s nice to remember that “vintage” can be a little more transgressive, a little less stereotypically feminine and a whole lot more fun.

So today I’ve decided to debunk a few myths about dressing vintage, the “vintage era” lets call it 20s-50s, and the vintage lifestyle.

Vintage Myth 1

Women were real ladies.

Oh the number of times I’ve had this said to me when I’m having a “gloves and a hat” sort of a day. Normally by older gentlemen who probably still aren’t actually old enough to remember the era properly.

Nonsense. Women have always been Women. Strong, weak, happy, sad and angry and there is many a sad story of strong women in history whose “transgressions” led them into mental institutions and misery, there are also many who broke the mould and achieved great things. Whether it’s Luisa Casati being buried in her false eyelashes, or Amelia Earhart who inspired a generation of female aviators, and kept her own name when she married, a quick flick through the history books proves that not all women were sitting at home darning their husbands socks.

Cohen3

From the book Snapshots of Dangerous Women

Vintage Myth 2

People were always immaculately turned out

To modern eyes those photos of street urchins in tweed trousers and collared shirts look adorably smart. To most people at the time they would have looked a mess. They’re not wearing tracksuit bottoms because the fabrics and production techniques required to make them didn’t exist yet.

Those floral house coats you see 1940s women wearing in pictures, everyone knew those were their “house clothes” so it was no different to going to the shops in your pyjamas (ok, maybe it was a bit different)

The aesthetic appeals to me more than tracksuit bottoms, but in reality they’re not much different. During WWII there was a certain pride that people had in remaining well dressed despite the privations the war imposed, but that by no means suggests EVERYONE dressed immaculately.

Vintage Myth 3

Women had curves

If I see one more meme with pictures of voluptuous 50s women cavorting in bikinis contrasted with the skinniest of modern celebrities I will throw down my cupcakes and petticoats and have a fit.

Women came in all shapes and sizes, just like they do now. Those tiny vintage dresses that you love? They’re probably still immaculate because they were rarely worn. Women were overweight, underweight, curvy and straight up and down. Fashionable body shapes change over the years, and with photography not being as widespread as it is now you’ll probably see more celebrities and models of a certain body shape, but that doesn’t mean that’s how everyone looked. There were elaborate diet preparations to help women slim down, and bulking products to help them gain weight, same as you’ll find in any health food shop now and highlighting an advert for one over the other is like picking passages out of the Bible to validate your own intolerances.

real-women-have-curves-meme

Vintage Myth 4

You could leave your door unlocked

I can leave my door unlocked now, if I want to. It’s likely nothing will go missing. In fact once I went on holiday for a whole week and left my back door unlocked because I’m an idiot and nothing went missing.

During WWII burglars didn’t need to hang around waiting for you to leave your door unlocked. The crime rate apparently increased by 57% from 1939 to 1945 in the UK and looting and robbery were rife after air raids. Sure, times have changed. These days we fill our houses with expensive and easy to steal items like laptops, lightweight flat screen TVs and mobile phones, it’s probably far more lucrative to break into the average family home these days that it was in the 1950s when you’d need about 4 of you to completely fail to unobtrusively remove that expensive and very heavy washing machine from the premises. So, you know, is locking your doors really that much of a chore?

Vintage Myth 5

Red Lipstick, Victory Rolls, Pale Skin

Yeah, that. So you can’t get the hang of victory rolls, or they make you look like Mickey Mouse, don’t wear them! Red Lipstick? I love it, but I also love pink, and in the 20s-50s Women were wearing peaches, corals and pretty much any other shade you can think of. Pale skin? Actually tans were very popular, in the 1920s Coco Chanel popularised sun tans. Think creating the effect that you were hanging around on yachts a lot.

These have all become elements of what we think of as a “vintage style” but they are by no means historically accurate, and the assumption that all women in the 1940s were dressing and doing their make up and hair in identical ways is as silly as assuming that all women today are dressing exactly the same.

vintage sun tan

When I started Retro Chick as a blog (7 years ago tomorrow fact fans!) I didn’t set out to be a “Vintage Blogger” because I didn’t know what that was, and I’m not even sure they existed then. Over the years, despite my confessions that I’m not really very vintage at all, I’ve repeatedly been included in lists as a “Vintage Blogger” and I’ve frequently felt a bit weird about the stereotypes and preconceptions that come with that label.

Sometimes it’s fun to fling on a floral frock and red lipstick and go eat afternoon tea under some bunting, but other times it’s fun to wear the slinkiest frock I can find and drink cocktails, or slob out in tracksuit bottoms and drink beer, or maybe sometimes it’s fun to fling on a floral frock and drink beer.

Variety is the spice of life folks, and just remember, next time you think “That’s not very vintage” that “Vintage” covers a very long time period, a range of modern fashion styles and a whole host of misconceptions.

What vintage myths would you like to see debunked?

 

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251 Comments

  1. Topnewsarena says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/bee2wPMrZq

  2. Ur_Image says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    5 Vintage Myths: I’ve been into “vintage style” for quite some time now. From back in the days when I liked a … //t.co/OOzdCPJ8ul

  3. Ur_Image says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    5 Vintage Myths: I’ve been into “vintage style” for quite some time now. From back in the days when I liked a … //t.co/0M9CehDw9Z

  4. Paula says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Well, said! Enjoyed reading this and in my eyes…..you nailed it! 🙂

    • Gemma says:
      April 15, 2015 at 1:54 pm

      Ha ha! Thanks 😀

  5. Retrochick_uk says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:26 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  6. VintageAwardsUK says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  7. xrebel_angelx says:
    April 15, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    5 Vintage Myths via Retro Chick //t.co/IdmqdkEctM

  8. Miss Peelpants says:
    April 15, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Preaching to the choir here sista, but always glad to read an intelligent debunking of these ridiculous myths. If you think crime was lower, and people so much nicer, I recommend watching the Scotland Yard series of B Movies (based on true crimes!) from the 1950s.

    My list of myths is too long to go into here, but one personal bugbear is the idea that post-1960 isn’t vintage.

    • Gemma says:
      April 15, 2015 at 2:40 pm

      Oh yes, because vintage stops at 1969 and will stay there forever even when 1985 is 50 years ago!

      • Rachel says:
        April 16, 2015 at 6:58 pm

        You’re so right! Vintage is technically anything that is 30 years or older. We just have such a romantic view of the 1920’s to 1960’s.

      • Vittoria says:
        April 18, 2015 at 12:17 am

        Um…1985 was thirty years ago….. My bf was born in 86, he’s turning 29 this year..

    • Rachel says:
      April 16, 2015 at 6:55 pm

      Crime was higher back then! There’s a pretty sound theory that the lead in the gas (or petrol) contributed to it. There was lead in the air and an overexposure to lead has been linked to aggressive behavior.

  9. Mim McDonald (@crinolinerobot) says:
    April 15, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    I did a very similar post a couple of years back and picked out red-only lippie, pale skin and the ‘vintage figure’ (a term that makes me all ‘Mim SMASH!’) as in need of debunking. I do wonder if the current takeup of more 1960s styles among vintage lovers is to escape the prom-dress-and-victory-rolls stereotype.

    • Gemma says:
      April 15, 2015 at 2:44 pm

      Mim SMASH makes me laugh!
      Yes, it all got very samey and I think some people are trying out new looks!

  10. TheJammyTarts says:
    April 15, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  11. Marie_Costume says:
    April 15, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  12. clarence_alabam says:
    April 15, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  13. springystitches says:
    April 15, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  14. daisymaydreamer says:
    April 15, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Really enjoyed this blog post from @retrochick_uk – 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/V9xlG3XqFv everything is so true!

  15. FashionFarewell says:
    April 15, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/PdoTCnCp3x via @retrochick_uk

  16. OldFashionedSus says:
    April 15, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    THIS…. so true! RT “@Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/yhPBEeBOC6”

  17. suzannevaliant2 says:
    April 15, 2015 at 9:42 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  18. Rubi says:
    April 15, 2015 at 10:33 pm

    Love the little drawing, you’re a true artist :p

  19. Jodie says:
    April 15, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    Great Post. I always wondered where the photos of women in their husbands shirts and a pair of trousers with holes in the where To match my modern day boyfriend tee and leggings with holes in them. So glad you’ve broken the glass ceiling over people always being immaculate.

    • Rachel says:
      April 16, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      Masculine wear was so vogue in the 1920’s thru the 1950’s. Women stole their men’s trousers until companies started providing women’s trousers. This is why the 1930’s and 40’s trouser were so wide leg on women. They were wearing men’s trousers! Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn are great examples of this style!

  20. AlexMackintosh4 says:
    April 15, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  21. Sara Cluderay says:
    April 16, 2015 at 12:10 am

    My grandma always tells me that the films and TV shows of today that are set in the 50s are unrealistic because the clothes are always so beautiful with gorgeous colours and fabrics. In reality, after the war there was still rationing for many years, including on clothes and fabric, so she said everyone had boring colours and horrible scratchy material, and hand me down outfits most of the time! But that wouldn’t look so nice on Trixie in Call the Midwife!

    • Rachel says:
      April 16, 2015 at 6:49 pm

      Call the Midwife starts after rationing. It begins in 1957 and rationing ended in 1954. These are young working women who could afford the nicer clothing and more beautiful fabrics. The moms they care for are often costumed in what your grandma described. Furthermore, rationing ended with the end of the war in America so you also have to consider what happened where the film or show is set. This showcases the shortcomings of primary sources. They’re great if you want a very specific recounting of a time; however, people usually only pay attention to or remember what happens in their area. I do agree that most people don’t pay attention to historical accuracy very often.

  22. Jessica says:
    April 16, 2015 at 2:28 am

    Crime rates are so much lower than they were 50+ years ago! It’s one of those things that drives me so crazy – in general, we’re so much safer now than we were then.
    I can’t think of anything that you didn’t cover, but the “real women” comment always drives me right up a wall. Yes, the consequences of stepping outside the boundaries of propriety were much harsher then than they are now, but women still did it.

  23. Isis says:
    April 16, 2015 at 5:25 am

    Hear, hear! A minor pet peeve of mine is vintage=matte lipstick. Regardless the fact that you could get both matte and semi-glossy and that somewhat glossy lipsticks usually sold much better…

    • Rachel says:
      April 16, 2015 at 6:39 pm

      Matte is very 1940’s. However, the 30’s and 50’s loved a glossy lip. It bugs me when people claim something when they haven’t studied it at all.

  24. SharonHayns says:
    April 16, 2015 at 7:13 am

    5 Vintage Myths | Retro Chick //t.co/uX9K5q7sso

  25. NoraFinds Vintage (@norafinds) says:
    April 16, 2015 at 7:53 am

    Fantastic post – really made me smile! Thanks for debunking these myths 🙂

  26. tustain_kerry says:
    April 16, 2015 at 8:44 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/NjoCvVv6EW via @retrochick_uk

  27. LillyJarlsson says:
    April 16, 2015 at 11:10 am

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  28. frithalouise says:
    April 16, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    Loved this blog post from @Retrochick_uk debunking “vintage myths”!
    5 Vintage Myths | Retro Chick //t.co/109TZyhwUK

  29. Cate says:
    April 16, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    I find myself gradually moving away from the 50s look towards the 30s and I do think it’s the whole cupcake/petticoat/red lips/victory rolls thing. Yes, I make a damn good cupcake but I’ve never actually worn a 50s style petticoat. I wear red lipstick only when I can be bothered because we don’t get on and I couldn’t get my hair into victory rolls if I spent all day doing it. And I’m sure there were a good deal of women during WWII who couldn’t either!

    • Rachel says:
      April 16, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      I feel the same way! I’ve been loving the 30’s style much better lately.

  30. LTabstar says:
    April 16, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    LOVE THIS >> 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/CrFZIrFzaS via @retrochick_uk

  31. Helen says:
    April 16, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    I strongly suspect that the pale skin/red lips/victory rolls looks is from Dita Von Teese, because she was the first vintage person visible to the mainstream.

    I do find the big frock/cupcakes/bunting/victory rolls/red lips thing annoying and limiting. Partly because I actually *liked* it at one point but then it was everywhere and became this irritating, lazy shorthand for “vintage”. I’m fairly sure (not that I was around at the time, but still) that cupcakes, as we now know them, were *not* a thing that people had in Britain in the 50s. But then Nigella Lawson parades about with her cupcakes (I mean that in several senses!) and she’s in a Vivian of Holloway frock and…. well. There you go.

  32. sovintagelondon says:
    April 16, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    All true! Can we add that very few people ‘have probably died in that’ //t.co/BcS1D1LFBF

  33. Hannah says:
    April 16, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Loved this!! Fab read and summed up all I think about modern ‘vintage’!

  34. Rachel says:
    April 16, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    Addressing myth number 3, what was in style as far as the female figure changes each decade. In the 20’s and 30’s a very slim figure was in style. The 50’s was when curves were in vogue. However, the muscular women which many seek has never been in style until now. I think that’s what these memes are not articulating well. Many do find the muscular women unfeminine and I think that’s what they’re lamenting. It’s also contributing to the increase of eating disorders. Orthorexia is a newly recognized eating disorder in which it’s victims become so obsessed with being healthy it interferes with their lives. They cut out entire food groups. It’s a major problem. These memes may be well intentioned; however, they are very harmful as well.

    • Gemma says:
      April 17, 2015 at 11:51 am

      To be fair it’s no ones business to lament not having a body shape they personally find attractive though! I know what you mean, but that’s kind of the whole point, that women are pressured into fitting into a “feminine” ideal, whatever fashion/culture decides that should be.

  35. Jessica D says:
    April 16, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    When people say that Marilyn was a size 14 and what people consider overweight nowadays…that was in vintage sizes…totally different. Pretty much a size 8 nowadays. That is by no means overweight! Curves in all the right places, but slim, even by today’s standards.

  36. Helga says:
    April 16, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    Fecking LOVE this post. Absolutely spot on.
    X

  37. creampuffbygg says:
    April 16, 2015 at 10:13 pm

    just gotta share this fab post by @foreveramber //t.co/lfoiJjVvh9 #vintagestyle #glamour #historynerd

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  73. warpeacerevival says:
    April 17, 2015 at 5:56 am

    Interesting Blog from someone who debunks some of the “Vintage” myths! //t.co/9PxRefoqEP

  74. Dovima_Atelier says:
    April 17, 2015 at 11:00 am

    This post from @Retrochick_uk on vintage did make us giggle this Friday morning! #tgif #happyfriday //t.co/hzR188fAEc

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  79. showroomonline says:
    April 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    Really worth a read! There’s more to vintage than just red lips and kitsch print prom frocks…. //t.co/lb6qgN4d6x

  80. EvelynAllien says:
    April 17, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    5 Vintage Myths | Retro Chick //t.co/WHyVLPh59E

  81. Charlie says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    Anorexia on parade.

  82. balfies says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    Five Vintage Myths Debunked (you cab tell it’s a good article bc all the words are capitalised) //t.co/b53cnMIO08

  83. Brian says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    How about the myth that vintage cars are safer then cars today? I would MUCH rather put a 1961 Cadillac into the ditch at 30 miles an hour then a new Honda Accord. As for a major accident? I’ll take the Honda Accord over the X frame Cadillac. … Old cars are what you want to be in for a minor fender bender. Getting t-boned in a 61 Cadillac at 60 miles an hour would probably kill you while in a modern car, you’d probably live to tell the tale.

  84. CanonMum says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    //t.co/vTlo1JTy8d

  85. Beth Galloway says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    I could not do victory rolls if I tried! Though I bump my bangs up using hairspray and flat irons (bad I know, but it only takes two seconds with how thin my hair is) I have red nails most of the time but I prefer purple lipstick over red. I wear boots with my dresses and only have one pair of wedged heels I use for going to places like Atomic Festival. I dress mostly in red, purple or black but in “vintage style” swing and wiggle dresses or my one pair of high waisted jeans with a black top. All in all, I wear what I want. I’ve never been one for stereotypes.

  86. Vix says:
    April 17, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Brilliant! I’m sick to death of this mythical era that encompasses 1940s hair, badly-fitting fake 1950s dresses and red lipstick. Don’t even get me started on C**cakes and miss-matched china. At the Vintage awards last year I was treated with absolute contempt for daring to turn up dressed in head to toe 1970s, shunned by the official photographers and looked down at by the repro-wearing crowd.
    Screw the lot of them. I wear vintage to be different (and have done for over 30 years), not to fit in with some gormless stereotype. I’ll still be wearing old clothes when the bandwagon jumpers have moved on to the next big thing.

  87. Nan says:
    April 17, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    I would add Decade Slushing! At my shop we often end up dressing people that say they have a 20’s party to go to but want a dress that has early 50’s lines, but really looks like 1980’s Grease version of the 50’s!!

  88. Jennifer Duke says:
    April 17, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    I LOVE that you mentioned the pale skin thing. I am naturally (very) pale (damn ginger genes), but if I’m going to an event and want to vintage-up, I slap on a healthy coat self-tanner. Why? Because it actually suits me and my overall coloring better than my pale skin. I look better and feel more confident. Besides, sunbathing was ALL THE RAGE back in the day.

    • Gemma says:
      April 17, 2015 at 6:33 pm

      Exactly! Do what makes you feel good 😀

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    April 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm

    Emma Irving liked this on Facebook.

  97. Kate Bell says:
    April 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm

    Kate Bell liked this on Facebook.

  98. mari says:
    April 17, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    How about the one where Marilyn Monroe was a size 16. Anyone who has worn vintage knows what the sizing is like. A size 16 would be a 6 or 8 today.

  99. CrikeyItsVintag says:
    April 17, 2015 at 8:47 pm

    Have a think //t.co/WqWYkBjirN

  100. ThePinUpPegasus says:
    April 17, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/KkmpfdBiOo via @retrochick_uk

  101. terriwhatwhat says:
    April 17, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    “Vintage” food for thought. The blogger brings up some interesting points. //t.co/qxTqH4Iz3w

  102. Jess Scheib says:
    April 18, 2015 at 12:01 am

    Jess Scheib liked this on Facebook.

  103. NatashaAnn3 says:
    April 18, 2015 at 2:38 am

    5 Vintage Myths | Retro Chick //t.co/JERwCMHfG5

  104. magnolia_sissi says:
    April 18, 2015 at 8:57 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/BcqkVAu9Np przez @retrochick_uk

  105. madalbeenmeek says:
    April 18, 2015 at 9:06 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/ums163LLzl

  106. vanitythrills says:
    April 18, 2015 at 10:18 am

    This! We definitely have a romanticised and nostalgic view of the past now. Women didn’t all look as glamorous as… //t.co/Ac0Lu0GMdO

  107. Emma Bosanko says:
    April 18, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    Emma Bosanko liked this on Facebook.

  108. mssarahliddle says:
    April 18, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    5 Vintage Myths | Retro Chick //t.co/uYJIuFmSmr

  109. kittydevine123 says:
    April 18, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    Very much yes! 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/Ci4EPRVgnt via @retrochick_uk

  110. goulcher says:
    April 18, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    RT @kittydevine123: Very much yes! 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/Ci4EPRVgnt via @retrochick_uk

  111. Marcus_Boswell says:
    April 18, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    5 #Vintage #Myths //t.co/kdRfkx0MnN

  112. judecallsenbig says:
    April 18, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/71OfF951mw

  113. yeseniaashtonti says:
    April 18, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/uNQulrvtJs

  114. NicheMarkeJYJ says:
    April 18, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/2alaCIfObQ

  115. guserilive says:
    April 18, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/HbQ4hwoGP1

  116. chadcleglean says:
    April 18, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    #Design //t.co/VYIFfmuHLf

  117. Amy Kilroy-Buck says:
    April 19, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  118. Eliza Smith says:
    April 19, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  119. Ria Baker says:
    April 19, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  120. Terri Nowlin Borchert says:
    April 19, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  121. fabianwrightsha says:
    April 19, 2015 at 12:28 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/aOdBRjDRba

  122. briddoupants says:
    April 19, 2015 at 2:08 am

    #Design //t.co/vjAlZi4CtV

  123. RyleiMars says:
    April 19, 2015 at 2:53 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/MdZiyWAtAL

  124. memakerSleek says:
    April 19, 2015 at 3:44 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/1szgHL31ah

  125. AniyahCoulterWa says:
    April 19, 2015 at 4:55 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/NpuO4jzvja

  126. gregotope says:
    April 19, 2015 at 9:15 am

    #Design //t.co/g6vbusdRtq

  127. Helsieboo says:
    April 19, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    Read this ladies, number 3: //t.co/u78euNLy1B Slim, curvy, short, tall, overweight, underweight, we’re ALL real.

  128. Rebecca says:
    April 19, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    I often struggle to read vintage blogs without feeling nauseous so this was a fantastic read! Thank you! !!

    • Gemma says:
      April 19, 2015 at 7:00 pm

      Ha ha! Glad I didn’t make you queasy!

  129. Foxxi_Love says:
    April 19, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    This blog on vintage myths is more about clothing/styles but it’s still totally great //t.co/vsH0MohtMO

  130. Candy_Justine says:
    April 19, 2015 at 5:03 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/5iL0nxoAyG via @retrochick_uk

  131. _msthirdward says:
    April 19, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    RT @Foxxi_Love: This blog on vintage myths is more about clothing/styles but it’s still totally great //t.co/vsH0MohtMO

  132. Beverley Hughes says:
    April 20, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  133. Becca Davies says:
    April 20, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  134. Wendy Scott says:
    April 20, 2015 at 12:01 am

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  135. Liesjevdw says:
    April 20, 2015 at 8:24 am

    RT @Retrochick_uk: 5 Vintage Myths //t.co/cFHW0f7X5I

  136. boutiquethread says:
    April 21, 2015 at 1:37 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/P9y9r4AO8F

  137. FallPantsvideo says:
    April 21, 2015 at 3:46 am

    #Design //t.co/kJA2xWYzHs

  138. NgkFbri says:
    April 21, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    #Design //t.co/tgds2nThoe

  139. kraftfoodsall says:
    April 21, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    #Design //t.co/sw6KHmXD2U

  140. cindytorrvie says:
    April 21, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    #Design //t.co/XaUUZa3IEu

  141. doorknobscro says:
    April 21, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    #Design //t.co/tvVtvGDN7Z

  142. pippi hepburn says:
    April 21, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    i love “when did this, become hotter than this.” Yes, I am working out more and eating healthier to get ready for beach weather, but I totally think women in shape of all sizes look great. So don’t copy the stars. They get paid millions to look that way, and it does not last. //www.pippihepburn.etsy.com

  143. GregoryGarverCl says:
    April 21, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/IQWT2za1JM

  144. SpyGearXbee says:
    April 21, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    #Design //t.co/POHrliU24k

  145. HayleeEvoySee says:
    April 21, 2015 at 10:48 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/EPxmt7rsE3

  146. DataCommuniMamo says:
    April 21, 2015 at 11:39 pm

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/avLph4wzoZ

  147. Terin Luce says:
    April 22, 2015 at 12:00 am

    Terin Luce liked this on Facebook.

  148. DustinCouchlive says:
    April 22, 2015 at 12:54 am

    #Design //t.co/b0aCJsLwio

  149. AurorJaidog says:
    April 22, 2015 at 2:44 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/Mo0x2Msw4I

  150. EmileighRogers says:
    April 22, 2015 at 9:15 pm

    5 Vintage Myths debunked by @Retrochick_uk: //t.co/VFivL4d5Fg Not all ladies “back then” were curvy & well-dressed all the time!

  151. GJB215 says:
    April 23, 2015 at 6:59 am

    5 Vintage Myths – //t.co/GjirOjbToW //t.co/ctF5jvuWcT

  152. Second Loved Clothes says:
    April 25, 2015 at 12:00 am

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  153. Pernille Fredriksen says:
    April 25, 2015 at 12:00 am

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  154. Natalie says:
    May 25, 2015 at 11:45 am

    That is so true about the red lips and the pale skin. Yes it looks great, but so does wine, pink, orange… etc. I think the biggest myths i would like to see debunked are that people had long hair and that they never wore anything loose or shapeless. A lot of women had cute bobs or pixie cuts and looked super in them. And there were a lot of loose fitting skirts/coats/dresses and dropwaists in the late fifties. And they were just as cool as any highwaisted/petti-coat clad fashions from that decade.

    Also what about the sixties? I love the 1960s. I suppose it’s more “retro”…

  155. Pernille Fredriksen says:
    May 28, 2015 at 2:33 pm

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    May 28, 2015 at 2:33 pm

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    May 28, 2015 at 2:33 pm

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  210. Grey Dove says:
    June 2, 2015 at 2:27 am

    Fabulous article, thank You! I have a special feeling for your fifth myth and the points you expand from it to make!

    I would like to mention a point that does slightly qualify your third myth. While I definitely agree that women have always come in all shapes and sizes I do think that something that was Much More Common until the 1960s (or even the 70s) were figure forming under garments. Heavier or slimmer, curvy or flat women did often have smaller wastes because from childhood on they wore garments that gave them that shape. Now I’m thrilled that a corset is no longer part of a regular wardrobe, and I think even a girtle should be a matter of choice (and for me at least that means Special Occasion Only) however, it does seem that a lot of designers have been slow to (or completely missed) this basic change. Or have taken the lack of shaping underwear to the opposite extreme. (I have a small waste compared to my hips and finding jeans that fit properly is a nightmare!) But I think a lot of clothes, and therefore many women have tried to have those kind of figures without the garments that created them, which in turn increases the myth you highlight.

    Thrilled to have discovered your blog and look forward to seeing more of it.

    Sincerely,
    Grey Dove

  211. Daisy Edwins says:
    June 16, 2015 at 11:29 am

    I hate vintage stereo types – especially nowadays when people put a lot of things together and call it vintage like the bunting, cupcakes.. etc! Alot of that isn’t even true to what things were like in the past and there’s so much more vintage that people never focus on.

  212. FranRob says:
    November 3, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    @Retrochick_uk On a possibly related note, people who say white wedding dresses are related to being a virgin. Nope. Queen Vic’s fault.

  213. Jennie Wilson says:
    November 3, 2015 at 3:41 pm

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  214. Annie Horn says:
    November 3, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    Debunk the goddam word vintage. Do not kniw why it evolved but I hate it. Debunk the I have been doing this longer than you mentality, seriously who cares? Get over yourself! I could go on and on what gets on my wires about some if the things I read hence me removing many folks off my facebook friends because reading their crazy self absorbed prattle was becoming too rich. ?

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    November 3, 2015 at 4:11 pm

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  222. Vikki King Was Jackson says:
    November 3, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    Brilliant!

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  236. Vollers_Corsets says:
    November 4, 2015 at 10:25 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/t2gG6EUPTc

  237. Vollers_Corsets says:
    November 4, 2015 at 10:43 am

    5 Vintage Myths //t.co/kGt5PwArDS

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About Me

Gemma
Incurable cancer, cocktails & fitness. Size Inclusive Personal Trainer, red lipstick wearer, cocktail drinker. Multiple Myeloma June 2021. Norwich, UK
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