Bellies, boobies, and the general injustice of modern fashion

1950's

Most of my writer-type friends write historical romance. As such, their Pinterest pages are filled with fashion examples from various eras for the purpose of properly costuming their characters. Scrolling through those pages during this month of convalescence (with my laptop carefully situated on a pillow away from my abdominal incision) I've come to a conclusion: modern-day women's fashion is not fair to the female figure.

For the most part, the fashions of the past either offered styles that worked WITH the female form to emphasize the parts we want to emphasize and de-emphasize the parts we have such trouble keeping in line; or included mechanical devices for pulling, pushing, squeezing, and tucking the body into the ideal shape of the day with bustles, corsets, girdles, etc. Yes, I know, we have bras and Spanx and control-top pantyhose, but that's just not the same. No amount of Lycra is a substitute for whalebone when it comes to holding things in position.

Perhaps I'm finding this particularly frustrating right now because my post-surgery body has required me to limit my wardrobe to loose sundresses. And based on the "swelly belly" that shows up every afternoon, and the weird flap of skin that hangs over my incision when I stand up, I will be wearing these waistless, formless, shapeless items of clothing for the foreseeable future. Although apparently the look can be quite trendy, based on this picture from New York's fashion week.

OK, yes, that outfit would disguise any number of body flaws...

So here's my wish... I wish for the day when we can all look at ALL kinds of fashions, from different eras, and choose the styles that work with our individual body types. And then we'd be able to find those styles at the store and wear them out in public without looking like we're on our way to a Civil War re-enactment or a Halloween party. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

What would be your fashion-era of choice? The one that would make you feel good about yourself and about your physique instead of hating half your parts and pieces? I'm torn between the 1950's hourglass and something along these lines... Can't you see me at the grocery store in this outfit?