There were two specific eras of style in the ‘50s decade. The early ‘50s were devoted to poodle skirts and modest white blouses with black and white Oxford shoes. Women preferred to look young and innocent into their 20s, with ribbons tied in their curled ponytails. Common styles in this time period were poodle skirts, which were originally designed by Christian Dior, cardigan sweaters, a boyfriend’s varsity jacket, and white folded socks with Oxford or Mary Jane shoes.
In 1950, following the end of World War II, rations on all items used to make clothing were lifted, so clothing was able to be produced more freely, which sparked a frenzy of newly produced items in a more broad style range.
The pin-up style was complete with black winged eyeliner, full red lips, and filled-in eyebrows with high arches. Even beauty marks were drawn on the face to look like Marilyn Monroe. Women stressed the smallness of their waists when dressing, and like what was done with corsets in the 1920s, busts and backsides were glorified as much as possible. Bathing suits, lingerie, and shorts were commonly high-waisted. When it came to shoes, high heels and fishnet stockings were a must for a pin-up (Buszek, 2006).
Girls grew up to be housewives; once their husbands came home from work, they looked impossibly beautiful, dressed without a wrinkle, all while having a full meal on the table for dinner.