Calling All Gibson Girls

Waists so tiny they could throw Barbie into a fit of jealousy, curled hair piled taller than one's head, and corsets so tight and constricting that women were forced to permanently adjust their posture - it's no wonder modern fashion has yet to tackle the Gibson Girl look in its entirety.

"I'm sorry, I can't suck in my stomach any more!" ViewImages.com.

Named after the creator, illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, the Gibson Girl was known as a beauty icon for women in the 1890s and early 1900s. Men loved her unbelievably perfect hourglass figure and fashionable bouffant, and women gradually learned to love it.

Eventually, after years of waddling in uncomfortable corsets, the Gibson Girl was no longer seen as the ideal woman. World War I had begun, and suddenly her high hopes and model figure felt outdated and meaningless in the midst of chaos. Women decided, in a reflection of the somber times, to ditch their corsets and extravagant gowns for narrow, shorter dresses and tailored coats.

For his Spring 2007 collection, designer Alexander McQueen created a toned down Gibson Girl. Style.com.

These days, corsets are rarely worn outside of costumes, and even then, they hardly come close to the extreme designs famous Gibson Girls like Camille Clifford and Alice Roosevelt donned, and rightfully so. Brings new meaning to the phrase, 'suffer for fashion,' doesn't it?

How to get the Gibson Girl look:
- Style your hair into a bouffant (Guide to the 1960s bouffant)
- Wear a form fitting gown with a nipped in waist and train (Golden Dot Mermaid Dress by Jovani, $400)
- Corset is optional!