The Impact Of The Gibson Girl On American Culture

"Wear a blank expression/and a monumental curl/And walk with a bend in your back/Then they will call you a Gibson Girl."(Camille Clifford) In each turn of the century, there is a fashionable icon and role model for girls to follow. Some were real people like celebrities and models; for example, in the 1950s, the known fashionable icon is Audrey Hepburn. Then in the 1960s, barbie became a cultural icon. While in the late 19th century, the cultural icon was a drawing of a girl, a vision created by Charles Dana Gibson. The models Evelyn, Camille, and Irene became models of the original "Gibson Girls" that changed the way America thought about women. The Gibson Girl was a vision of an ideal woman created by Charles Dana Gibson in the 1890s and influenced Americans in aspects of fashion, gender roles, and character.

The Gibson Girl made a huge impact on American culture by creating a gauge by which beauty could be understood and measured. By creating a consumable, mass-produced vision of how American women should look, the Gibson Girl shaped American perceptions of beauty. During the Victorian Era, the hourglass silhouette that featured ample curves was the most popular figure. On the other hand, the Gibson Girl popularized the S curve figure that became in vogue during the

Edwardian era. In order to achieve the S curve, women wore corsets that were tightly laced at the waist so the hips back and bosom was thrust forward(Bellatory). This created the ideal waist size of about eighteen inches. At that time, the S-bend was thought to be a healthier figure as it placed less direct pressure on the front of the abdomen, which promoted a "proud" posture where the pelvis tilted forward and the bum was pushed back while the shoulders and bust were thrust forward. It also affected gait in a way that caused a lady to swing her hips as she walks(Lucy Corsetry).
To best exemplify the Gibson Girl's figure, the clothing designs of the Edwardian era revolved around the S curve. With her S curve figure, the Gibson Girl wore well tailored and beautifully embellished couture blouses. The desired effect was created with fine embroidery, lace, pleats, and pintucks that create the fussy blouses(Fashion-era). The sleeves of the dress were tight at the shoulder, fluffy throughout, and gathered into a tight cuff at the wrist. Dresses came in a two piece form, where skirts flare down to the ankle, creating a bell-shaped flare. Through the mass production of Gibson Girl prints, the clothing that the Gibson wore became popular and mass produced.
As for accessories, Edwardian women wore hats outdoors and for social occasions. The Edwardian trend of large hats affected hair fashions and how the hair was dressed, as the hairstyles had to be able to support the size and weight of the headwear. One of the most popular hairstyles was the Pompadour that women of all classes adopted. To achieve the Gibson Girl hairstyle, women piled their locks high in the front. In a variation of the style, one side of the hair was left hanging down the shoulder, or a stray curl was left loose on purpose(Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History). A pompadour could be decorated with a bun, chignon or knot, depending on what was in vogue at the time and the occasion. Chignons tend to sit low on the nape, or at the back of the head. A bun during this era was most likely situated on the crown, creating a "cottage loaf" look. Then a knot is a hairstyle that is twisted to form a rope, which is then coiled to form. These hairstyles became a noticeable trend during that time.
Although the Gibson Girl was only a depiction of an ideal American woman, she became a framework of who the American woman should be. Women copied her dress but more so the attitude and persona representation of her were copied. Women began to realize their value and potential was so much greater than the limitations society placed on them. They could and should be allowed to participate in previously forbidden activities, such as sports and education. They also began to ascertain an awareness of their power women possess over men(Loyola University New Orleans). However, the Gibson Girl undermined and sanctioned women's desires for progressive social-political change. While the Gibson Girl asked for equal rights to education and opportunities, she did so without involving herself in political movements such as progressive reforms and suffrage; thus managed to stay within the boundaries of feminine roles without too much transgression(Patterson).
In identifying twentieth-century college women with Gibson Girls, popular culture seriously distorted both campus and postgraduate realities but quite accurately demonstrated the consternation with which most Americans regarded women's changing status(Gordon).

"by the turn of the century, women could have both higher education and social approval, symbolized by the connection of college life with the Gibson Girl, an American beauty. (Palso)" Not only were women allowed to attend college, they can also participate in various types of sports. Through depictions of the Gibson Girl bicycling, playing tennis and golf, horseback riding, swimming, and the like, the idea of the athletic girl was

accepted.
The Gibson Girl was displayed as a courageous and confident young woman who was in this sense responsible for the 'good name' of her household, living testimony to it's economic as well as its moral respectability; this was her job. For the Gibson girl her grooming itself was her profession; to be her husband's 'prized possession' was her career(Palso). She was an admirer of fine art, a performer on the violin and the piano, a sweet singer, a writer a lover of good books, and a home making girl(Patterson). She was not only pretty and feminine, but she was also independent, athletic, educated, and confident. The Gibson Girl shaped the picture of a flawless modern woman that girls sought of.
Looking back at the fashion trends, gender roles, and character of women in the late 19th to early 20th century, the traces of the Gibson Girl's influence is evident. The Gibson Girl became a role model for many women to look at during the late 19th and early 20th century. America loved its Gibson Girl for the self-confidence she portrayed, and she remained a cultural icon until World War I. By then, America's hopefulness had faded to cynicism. The Gibson Girl no longer seemed appropriate for a country faced with war. Though the Gibson Girl was no longer popular after World War I, she led a new phase of womanhood in American history.