The Gibson Girl was tall and skinny with an s curve figure, this often came from the corset. They had thin necks with curly and fancy hair styles. The Gibson Girl was a very high class lady and was a member of the upper class society. She was always dressed in the latest fashion. She had a calm and independent personality and she would have never participated in the suffrage movement. The Gibson Girl was also refereed to as the New Woman but she was a more popular version of that.
The Gibson Girl didn't involve herself in politics and she was very picky about men. Most Gibson Girls were usually single but if they were in a relationship it was with a "Gibson Man" which was a man equal to the societal level of the Gibson Girl. Since Gibson Girls were very picky about their men they would analyze them under a microscope. People argue that the Gibson Girl was the first beauty standard set for women. She showed the feminine idea of physical attractiveness. The most famous Gibson Girl was a girl named Camille Clifford. She had an 18 inch waist and was known for her walk.
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| Camille Clifford: a well known Gibson Girl |
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| Gibson Girls checking out a Gibson Man under microscope |
The Gibson Girl was talented at many things. They were athletic in sports such as biking, swimming, tennis, golf and horseback as well as talented in the arts. The Gibson Girl was often portrayed in enjoying her leisure time. In one article, The Gibson Girl, she was compared to Barbie. They both set a beauty standard but the Barbie lasted and the Gibson Girl faded away. This was probably because the Gibson Girl was specific to grown women and the Barbie was not. In this article, the Gibson Girls were compared to the Kardashians. Evelyn, Camille, and Irene were the three original Gibson Girls.
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| Gibson Girl shown with her talents of the violin |
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| Gibson Girl shown being athletic as she rides her bicycle |
Charles Gibson's illustration career began when he was sick as a child and his dad taught him to draw silhouettes. He figured out he was a very good artist and at 19 began working at a magazine place called life. He then started the pen and ink drawings of the Gibson Girl. At age 65 he retired from illustrating but not art.
Gibson would portray the Gibson Girls doing many different things. He showed them as being jurors to show the increasing power of women. He even designed wallpaper for bachelor's rooms. Young girls would try to model themselves after the GIbson GIrl and there would always be tons of girls lined up outside of Charles' office wanting to become a Gibson Girl. The Gibson Girls were educated and took advantage of secondary school and college. By the turn of the century women could have a higher education, this was symbolized by the college life.
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| Gibson Girls as jurors |
The Gibson Girl era ended because views shifted when World War 1 came around. With most of the men being gone to war the women didn't need to show power over them. Also when the men came home form war they wanted women who were less proper and more fun. That is why the flappers were the next women to emerge in the 1920s. The Gibson Girl really showed the way everything changed during this era. They had time to be athletic and time to beautiful. They really set a high standard for what an upper class women had to be.
Sources:
I used this source to start with to get a general understanding of what the Gibson GIrl was. It had a good description of the physical image of the GIbson Girl including her body type and what she wore and how she appeared.
- I used this source for the information at the end as it talked about when and why the Gibson Girl went away due to world war 1 and the way views shifted.
- I used this site because I liked the idea of comparing the Gibson Girl to a modern day example. They were compared to the kardashians which I think helps people understand how high class and beautiful they were.
- girls viewing men under magnifying glass picture
- The Gibson Girl
- I used this for the information it had about Charles, the artist himself. It had good information about his life and about the meaning of the girl.
- I used this because it was a detailed source about the girls associated with college and the importance of education.
- I used this source for the many good images they had with descriptions of all of the different aspects of the Gibson Girl. It showed the athletic and artistic side of her as well as the jury.
I used this source for additional information specific to Charles Gibson and his work.
