msladysoul Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 One poster prompted me to start a topic on beauty of the times. It's interesting what was considered beauty in the different eras and generations. What was considered beautiful in the 1920's, isn't considered beautiful in the 1940's or even today. A lot of women from the 1920's were called the most beautiful and I look and wonder why like Olive Thomas, Barbara Lamarr and a lot of us don't see it but people did then. Their beauty was the sign of the times I guess. It's hard to describe the 1920's beauty...maybe, delicate, angelic, fragile looks. 1930's and 1940's beauty was beauty that could be related to by all eras, Billie Dove, I can see why she was called the most beautiful. The 1930's beauty to me was wild, unpredictable, and stylish. The 1940's beauty standards were classic, elegant, breathtaking. I know I shouldn't talk but honestly maybe I need to be there in the 1920's to see why certain things were considered beauty and talent but I can't see Olive Thomas and Barbara Lamarr as the most beautiful. There's a documentary on Olive Thomas called The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, who was one of Ziegfield Follies and a early movie star who was married to Jack Pickford, who died young either from accident or suicide. If you take someone like Ruth Etting, Al Jolson, Billie Holiday and put them in today's era they wouldn't be considered talented or could sing or even beautiful. How do you all feel? Is there someone you thought wasn't so hot and wondered why people felt so than? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normandie7 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I disagree with your point on Billie Holiday. To this day she remains one of the most talented female jazz vocalists of all time. She still has a huge following and a lot of her tracks are being remixed and played in the clubs ( at least here in the UK). I personally consider her a beautiful woman whose beauty came from inside, a kind of raw and vulnerable spirit. In my opinion, a good bone structure is not enough to make someone beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Normandie, your on target regarding the beautiful Billie Holiday. Although she was a tortured soul, the lady could sing the blues, like no other. She was a gem. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erzbet Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Well, for me the old cliche still rings true "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder". The ladies of the 20's seemed to fall into 3 categories - the pretty maidens (Mary Pickford, the Gish sisters), the glamourous femme fatale vamps (Gloria Swanson, Pola Negri)and the up to the minute thoroughly modern party girl: Colleen Moore - Clara Bow. The beauty queens of the 30's - so many lovely women. They really had faces then! Garbo, Irene Dunne, Jeanette MacDonald, Jean Parker, Jean Arthur. The 40's featured more lovelies: Greer Garson, Margaret Sullivan, Maureen O'Hara, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman. But while all these ladies had glorious features -- what good is it if they didn't somehow move you? A glance can say more than 20 pages of dialogue -- whether you are a "stunner" (like Hedy Lamarr for instance) or that wonderful character actress Edna Mae Oliver. You may look like the goddess Aphrodite herself -- but if you can't deliver a line with conviction, what good are looks? As for the current crop of entertainers -- I haven't seen many of them since I rarely bother with today's stuff that passes as "entertainment". Beautiful faces come and go -- Julia Roberts and Salma Hayak are lovely actresses -- but the one truth in the movie business is that somewhere out there is another lovely just waiting to become the "next big thing" -- whether she can act will remain to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msladysoul Posted June 23, 2005 Author Share Posted June 23, 2005 I wasn't putting down Billie Holiday. I think she's beautiful and wonderful. I'm just saying today you don't see various talents and rare beauties. Today it seems all these young singers sound the same, same style, same songs. Someone like Billie Holiday and Helen Morgan today would lose out if they didn't be half nude, shake their booty and shout and yell. I saw one singer on American Idol who had kind of the same style as Billie but she didn't win or go far on any show because she wasn't singing the norm... hip hop and rap and hardcore r&b. It's like if your not of the norm you won't make it today, it's like they won't except individuality today and differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msladysoul Posted June 23, 2005 Author Share Posted June 23, 2005 My favorite beauties are of the 1930's. So many different varieties of beauty. You had your Jean Harlow- sexy. You had your Mary Astor-innocent beauty, Myrna Loy- classy and sophisticated, Nancy Carroll- winsome, dainty beauty, Joan Blondell- all american beauty, Anita Page- soft beauty, Dorothy Van Engle, Nina Mae McKinney, Ethel Moses-black and beautiful with all the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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