For this Random Image Dump, a brief history lesson might be in order. This post is all about a sexy (and maybe sexist?) 1940s–1950s fashion trend that originated in Hollywood: that’s right, it’s The Sweater Girl craze. As we round the corner into autumn next month, it seems like a good time to reflect on cozy knits, and how, decades ago, they were the source of both pleasure and aghast pearl clutching, depending on your viewpoint.
Several years ago, Refinery 29 summed up the trend:
Tight, body-hugging knits were a fashion trend during the Golden Age of Hollywood, popping up in the wardrobe departments of many film sets to be worn by women, for the pleasure of men. It was during that time that the term “The Sweater Girl” was coined, and used in reference to ’50s bombshells like Lana Turner, Jane Russell, and Marilyn Monroe, who accentuated their hourglass figures by famously wearing bullet-shaped bras underneath their body-hugging knits.
The Sweater Girl quickly stepped out of the movies and into everyday life, as women (in the United States especially) began squeezing themselves into tight, bust-hugging cashmere and angora tops. This wanton sexuality on full display in outwardly prim and proper midcentury America caused an uproar. It’s as if conservatives realized, “My god, women have breasts, and tight sweaters make that completely obvious!” Think of the children! Even the police felt the need to weigh in on the evils women perpetrate:
Women walk the streets, their curves accentuated by their dresses,” Superintendent of Police Harvey J. Scott said. “But our real problem is with bobby soxers. They are the sweater girls—just kids showing off their curves and apparently liking it. What kind of mothers and wives are they going to be?”
Pittsburgh Police superintendent’s statement, 1949
In fact, sweater girls were being blamed for the rise in sexual assault crimes at the time. The classic reaction, which still rears its ugly head today: “Look what she was wearing—she was practically asking for it.” Victim Blaming 101. Shameful, but not surprising, sadly. In a recent docuseries on DC Comics, Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer Grant Morrison correctly noted that Americans were basically scared of everything in the 1950s. Add Sweater Girls to the lengthy list, alongside nuclear war, space aliens, communists, comic books, pinup models, teenagers, and so on and so forth.
Lana Turner is often credited with launching the controversial trend, thanks to her donning a body-hugging sweater for the film They Don’t Forget (1937). Norma Jeane Mortenson—Marilyn Monroe—also helped energize the trend when she wore a very tight cardigan backwards to accentuate her bust line for a wildly popular and iconic photoshoot circa 1950. Soon teenagers everywhere were doing the same trick.
Like any big fashion craze, the Sweater Girl eventually receded into the background, but has seen plenty of revivals over the last several decades. Today it’s part of a general mishmash of vintage looks that are popular with certain audiences, especially 1950s enthusiasts. While the trend exploded because Hollywood exploited the sex appeal of their star actresses by fitting them in two-sizes-too-small sweaters, today it’s just another in a long line of fashion styles that has been reclaimed by younger generations.
Enough history, on to the random images! Take a stroll, or scroll, back in time to the pinnacle eta of the Sweater Girl. These photos feature both celebrities of the time and everyday people (or models, I suppose).
The Starfire Lounge 