Media Then and Now

These two movie actresses: Judy Garland (Wizard of Oz, Easter Parade) and Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Walk the Line) are from two completely different eras of movie making. True, there are many similarities between their photographs, but there are also a number of differences just in how their bodies are shaped and how they stand. For example, in Judy Garland's photo, her dress is more concealing, which was much more common for the era that what we see today. Her hair is also very neatly put into place, and almost looks like barbie doll hair or fake hair. Judy Garland also looks just slightly skinnier than Reese, but I believe this is because of the dress she is wearing. Reese Witherspoon's photo is a little different than Judy's. Her dress is much more low-cut and revealing than Judy's. The dress also looks more form fitting on Reese than Judy's dress did on hers. Reese's hair is not very put into place like Judy's is either. Reese's hair is made to look wind blown, or as though someone had just photographed her in the middle of the day, not like she was in a studio. Not only do their bodies and clothes look different, but their posture is also different. Judy's posture is more leaned forward, almost concealing some of her curves, while Reese stands up very straight, almost sticking out her curves.

These differences in these women's photos are because of the era they are working in and how they grew up. For Judy, in the 1950's, women were not supposed to dresses that were revealing or racy. A woman's body was more secret than it is now, women in he 1950's did not generally show cleavage or lots of their legs. However, today these things are more acceptable. Girls can wear dresses that are low cut and very short. It was said above that Judy looks a bit thinner than Reese. If this is true, and it doesn't just look like it from what they are wearing, this is probably because women in the 1950's had better nutrition than we do now. Obesity is a huge issue for us as Americans today, but the history of obesity shows that it has not always been an issue. People living in Judy Garland's era probably did not have all the junk food that a lot of people today eat, which made them healthier in the long run.

These two pictures just show how much the media has changed and how our society has changed in the last 50 years. It is acceptable to wear racy clothes now, where as it certainly would not have been accepted in the 1950's. Our society has to choose whether heading in the direction we are is a good thing or a bad thing.