Social media might turn a single look into a national obsession overnight, but there was once a time when some women managed to do it through movie screens and magazine pages.
Suddenly, everyone wanted the Jackie look
There was no need for Jacqueline Kennedy to make any grand speeches about fashion. People were already paying a lot of attention to what she wore. Kennedy became first lady in 1961, and it didn’t take long for her pillbox hats and neat dresses to appear in stores across America.
There were some stores that even used mannequins deliberately styled to look like her. In other words, everyone wanted to get that Jackie look, and people across the nation were in love with her style.
One photograph filled the mailroom
Cheryl Tiegs was already a major model before 1978. But it was one Sports Illustrated photograph that became what she was known for. You probably know the one. Yes, it’s the one featuring her coming out of the water in a wet mesh one-piece.
Some people loved the picture, and some people hated it. The magazine actually received 2,947 letters, and 340 people canceled their subscriptions, apparently because of the picture. The whole of America couldn’t stop staring at her, for good or for bad reasons.
Television never knew what came next
You never knew what you were going to get with Cher in the early 1970s. Her outfit could look completely different within just five minutes. She appeared on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour sometimes dressed in feathers, and sometimes in bare-midriff outfits.
She’d also wear enormous headpieces and gowns that really made her stand out. In fact, Bob Mackie’s designs for her became so recognizable that department stores eventually sold copies. Cher’s someone who commands national attention, even to this day.
Motown arrived dressed for prime time
The moment the Supremes appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 27, 1964, was one to remember. They were becoming polished Motown stars, with matching hair and coordinated gowns. But the one who really stood out was Diana Ross.
She presented herself in a way that looked made for television, and everyone had their eyes on her. No wonder she was in the center. The group played hits like ‘Come See About Me,’ and these eventually reached millions of American homes.
The comeback had its own silhouette
Tina Turner practically invented the idea of a comeback, and it all started in 1984 when she was 44 years old. She had the spiky hair and the short skirts. Let’s not forget about those famous legs, either. Her album Private Dancer put her front and center in American pop once again, and hits like ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ were songs that almost everyone loved.
The song later won Record of the Year at the Grammys. Calling it a ‘comeback’ doesn’t exactly do it justice, though, because she didn’t seem like someone easing herself back into anything. No, she came back with full force, and had America obsessed.
Her name moved onto the marquee
There’s a difference between appearing in a film and actually becoming the character. Pam Grier knew all about that. In 1973, she played Coffy in the film of the same name, and her character was a nurse who went after drug dealers herself. She carried the movie from beginning to end.Â
The production’s budget was only about $500,000, but thanks to Grier’s incredible acting skills, it went on to make around $2 million at the box office. She was back the next year in another title role with Foxy Brown. Posters put her right in the middle, and honestly, we can see why.
New York couldn’t ignore the new arrival
Twiggy arrived in New York in 1967 as a skinny British teenager with enormous eyes and short hair. America noticed her almost immediately. Diana Vreeland brought her over for Vogue, and Twiggy appeared on the magazine’s April 1967 cover.
She became so popular that the press would wait to catch a glimpse of her at an airport, and crowds would form around her during outdoor photo shoots. Girls stopped her on the streets, too, even though she was only 17. New York had seen models before, but Twiggy was different.
A puff of smoke became instantly familiar
Barbara Eden had one of those TV looks that you just couldn’t mistake for anyone else. She wore pink pants and a cropped vest, along with a little red hat and veil when she appeared on I Dream of Jeannie. The show lasted for five seasons and ended in 1970.
Even once the show was over, people continued to be fascinated by Eden. She gave some of her costume pieces and a production bottle to the Smithsonian. There was nobody quite like her, and she was nothing short of magical.
One woman appeared twice
One of the strangest things about Kim Novak in Vertigo is that the movie spends a lot of time making you look at her. Then it tells you to look again. She appears as Madeleine at first, all blonde hair and gray suits, with a coolness that doesn’t compare.
Then she appears later on as Judy, a brunette who seems a lot more ordinary. That’s probably why America couldn’t stop watching her. She was the same actress in two roles, and she managed to play both of them so differently. That’s real talent.
America knew her before it saw the movie
The publicity for Jane Russell’s breakthrough role arrived years before the movie really did. Howard Hughes started The Outlaw in 1941 and finished it two years later. But he couldn’t release it until much later, due to censorship problems.
The main issues were with Russell’s costumes and the way she was photographed. Minneapolis ended up pulling the film, and a Texas circuit refused to show it. Both Maryland and Ohio banned it. Yes, Russell was a woman whose costumes stopped a film from being released.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
14 famous women frequently ranked among the world’s most beautiful
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14 famous women frequently ranked among the world’s most beautiful
