女性性感身材百年变迁史[1]

What is sexy? Well, it depends when you're asking. The ideals of sex appeal have evolved a lot over the past century.

什么是性感？这要看你是在哪个时代问的。过去一百年间，性感的标准经历了巨大的演变。

In the 1900s, it was a given that women would wear corsets under their dresses. The corsets played up the ideal hourglass figure, creating the impression of an S-shaped body. Stomachs were sucked in, making hips and breasts look bigger by comparison.

20世纪初，女性长裙里面穿紧身胸衣被认为是理所当然。 紧身胸衣塑造了完美的沙漏型身材，呈现出S型曲线。紧身胸衣有收腹效果，相比之下，臀部和胸部显得更丰满。

Things started to shift in the 1910s, as make-up grew in popularity among the Hollywood set. However, wearing make-up was still frowned upon by some, so many women would hide it and apply surreptitiously to play up their features, taking cues from the motion picture industry's trend-setting starlets.

20世纪10年代，化妆在好莱坞逐渐风靡，性感的定义开始有所转变。然而，有些人仍反对化妆，因此很多女性会模仿电影业里引领潮流的年轻女星，偷偷摸摸地化妆以凸显自己的面部特征。

In the 1920s, bold make-up was not only acceptable but desirable. Pale skin was the go-to look, so many women used cosmetics to make their complexion look lighter.

20世纪20年代，擦脂抹粉不仅为人接受，也令人向往。白皙是必备的肤色，很多女性用化妆品使自己的肤色变得更白。

But perhaps an even more dramatic change was that womanly curves were no longer 'in'. Girls now eschewed the hourglass shape for a boyish figure, even binding their chests to play down their breasts.

但或许更大的变化是女性曲线不再流行。当时的女孩儿不想要S型身材，而追求男孩子般的身材，她们甚至会裹胸来让胸部显得更平坦。

The 1930s, though, saw fuller figures make a small comeback - but women's sex appeal still had a masculine side. Women of the '30s went for a stronger silhouette. Following the lead of Joan Crawford, ladies bought dresses and tops with shoulder pads sewn in, which they then juxtaposed with sultry red lips.

20世纪30年代，丰满圆润的体型有所回归，但是女性的性感仍然有阳刚的一面。30年代的女性追求强壮的轮廓。在琼•克劳馥的引领下，女性买带垫肩的长裙和上衣，涂热辣红唇。

Shoulder pads continued to be popular into the 1940s. But the ideal figure began swinging back more toward the feminine when World War II ended, with higher hem lines meaning women were showing a bit more leg.

20世纪40年代，垫肩仍然很流行。但是二战后，理想身材再次变得更加女性化，裙子变短，腿露的也多了。

Then, in the late '40s, that undergarment innovation brought the hourglass figure back in a big way, with celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly showing them off in very different lights in the 1950s. While Marilyn's often revealing outfit choices were played up with pouty lips and sensual stares, Grace epitomized a more subtle sex appeal with her full skirts.

40年代末，文胸的发明使得沙漏型身材再次流行。到了50年代，玛丽莲•梦露和格蕾丝•凯利等明星展现了不同类型的沙漏型身材。玛丽莲嘴唇微翘和双眸性感，配上她的热辣服装，简直锦上添花。而格蕾丝的伞裙展现的是一种更微妙的性感。

Then finally, in the 1960s, legs got their chance to come out and play, too, as mini skirts were all the rage. Bikinis also earned swift popularity, and women began showing more and more skin on and off the beach. Curves fell out of favor again with many people, as Twiggy's super-slim figure inspired women to shed pounds.

20世纪60年代，随着迷你裙风行一时，女性有了露腿展示的机会。比基尼也迅速风靡，不管是否在海边，女性开始更多地暴露自己的身材。很多女性再次对曲线美失去了好感，因为崔姬超级苗条的身材激励着广大女性去减肥。

In the 1970s, Farrah Fawcett became a sexual icon with her feathered locks. The '70s also saw the sexual revolution in full swing, and women and men were both more open than ever about sexuality. In fact, one-night stands are what inspired Diane von Furstenberg to design the wrap dress in 1974.

20世纪70年代，拥有浓密秀发的费拉•福赛特成为性感的化身。这一时期，性革命如火如荼，不论男女，大家对性也越来越开放了。其实，黛安•冯芙丝汀宝正是受到一夜情的启发，于1974年设计了裹身裙。

Through the 1980s, the trend to show more skin continued. On the beach and at aerobics classes, women opted for swimsuits and leotards that cut high on the thigh to make legs look long and flaunt hips. Fit, toned bodies were considered the sexiest ones around.

20世纪80年代仍然流行着装暴露。去海边、去上有氧运动课时，泳装、紧身衣是女性的最佳选择，这两种衣服都能露出大腿，衬托女性的修长美腿和翘臀。健美的体型被认为是最性感的。

In the 1990s, however, the sexy 'ideal' seemed to split down two paths. At one extreme were the waif-like bodies of models like Kate Moss. At the other end, buxom bombshells like Pam Anderson were the ultimate in sex appeal.

到了20世纪90年代，关于性感的“典范”，似乎出现了两种截然不同的看法。一种观点认为像凯特•摩丝那样的骨感模特才是最性感的。与之大相径庭的是，有人认为像帕姆•安德森那样丰满的性感女郎才是最吸引异性的。

In the 2000s, the trend toward midriff-baring tops conveyed that thin women were still preferred.

21世纪初，露脐装的流行表明，人们还是更喜欢苗条的女性。

While being thin and fit is still lauded by men's and women's magazines in the first half of the 2010s, though, there's been a distinct shift back toward the curvy hourglass shape favored in the 1900s and 1950s.

近5年来，男性杂志、女性杂志仍然推崇健美苗条的身材。不过，20世纪初、20世纪20年代流行的S型身材有重回时尚圈的明显迹象。

Vocabulary

corsets: 紧身胸衣

hourglass: 沙漏

surreptitiously: 偷偷摸摸地

play up: 夸张，渲染

trend-setting: 引领时尚的

starlet: 新星

cosmetics: 化妆品

play down: 轻描淡写，故意缩小……的重要性

silhouette: 轮廓

shoulder pads: 垫肩

juxtapose: 把……并列

sultry: 性感的

hem: 底边

pouty: 噘嘴的，翘起的

epitomize: 是……的典范

buxom: 丰满的

bombshell: 性感女郎

midriff-baring: 露肚脐的