We’ve seen several iterations of time-lapse videos featuring the change in beauty standards over the past decades, including arguably the most popular: Cut’s 100 Years of Beauty. And while the video creators did their homework to make sure the looks of the women they feature are historically accurate, they can only cover a piece of the whole. And usually that piece is heavily influenced by popular culture. What’s considered beautiful during a certain decade depends on who’s the celebrity “it girl” of the time. What we usually see from the videos are trends popularized by the era’s personalities and fashion icons even though many women at that time—either by choice or by circumstance—wouldn’t have worn the style. The work of Karolina Żebrowska, a blogger and historical costume seamstress, hits this nail on the head. Her video Real Women – Beauty through the Decades the Realistic Way, that has since landed on media sites, highlights the stark contrast between the ideal beauties and the real women of the 1900s.
On her blog Domowa Kostiumologia, Karolina shared:
“The beauty standards they show are almost always our contemporary stereotypes of the past decades; for example, when it comes to the 1920s, it almost always is a partying, shiny flapper girl; when it comes to the 1950s, we always get pin-up.”
The ‘inaccuracy’ compelled Karolina to make her own video with the same theme, only more historically accurate. She planned to make a comparison between the stereotype and what was actually popular in particular decades. Then she found something more concerning.
“To be frank, it was supposed to be just another ‘Beauty Through The Decades’ video,” she said in her video description. “As I was doing some research, I became more and more aware that beautiful faces and fashion we see on the photos, ads and fashion plates are just an idealistic version of reality. So here’s to reality.”
When it comes to the 1920s, it almost always is a partying flapper girl.” Source: Youtube, Karolina Żebrowska
In Russia, one of nine women works in domestic service. Source: Youtube, Karolina Żebrowska
Granted, there are some looks that could have been more accurate as she herself observed. In an email interview Karolina said: “As for the 1930s, the messed up part is mainly the femme fatale hairstyle, which was done very quickly and isn’t as historically accurate as I wished it to be.”
Furthermore, the video is historically relevant only to the people from the West. But even so, her message is universal. Her video ends with a plea to not forget the real women of our times. Not forgetting the real woman behind the inspiring video, we got in touch with Karolina for her insights and future plans.
The video touched upon Western trends (though you did note that a couple were localized to Germany and Russia) and only included the period between 1900 and 1940. Do you intend to continue the series with more decades or specify geographies (e.g. Asian Beauty through the Decades the Realistic Way)?
The video was my attempt to show the history of beauty in a different light. I don’t think making other videos focused on other eras would make any difference, because the main idea remains the same, so as for now, I don’t plan any other videos of that kind. I am, however, considering on focusing on my native country’s (Poland) history in the future. When it comes to other cultures or races, I must admit though the idea sounds great, I don’t feel confident enough to pull off such topics, especially that I made everything in the video myself. But I wholeheartedly encourage women to tell their own “real” story.
What can you say about the recent surge of coverage from outlets like the Huffington Post and Mashable—do you think they are helping highlight what you wanted to say with the video?
I never expected this video to get that much interest. It was never supposed to be a manifest of any kind, I just wanted to share my point of view and if it’s something that people find relatable, then I’m obviously very happy. The media coverage was never something I desired, but as long as they don’t change the meaning of what I wanted to say, I’m glad the video is being appreciated.
Finally, what do you want your video’s viewers to take away from it after they watch—about the reality of beauty standards and its reflection on the status and roles of women throughout history?
I just want people to remember that ideals, historical or not, are fake and believing in them leads to delusion. Also, that just because you haven’t read about someone in your history book, doesn’t mean they weren’t important.
