Women and the Cinema

The female cinema goer from yesteryear would come to what was seen as a safe haven {for women} and a safe place to go without their man – the cinema.

Married women found their escapism by going to the daily matinees. They would spend their allowance watching the latest pictures and follow the fashions and hair styles of the glamorous actresses and their role models on the big silver screen.

The influence that film stars had on society at the time was quite remarkable, with limited media influence unlike today. The cinema was the main source of finding out about new views and fashions and what was deemed as in style and beautiful, the men yearned for the stars and the women tried to copy and emulate what they had seen on the screen.

Fashions such as flared dresses with heavy underskirts became fashionable thanks to the film stars who wore them, film magazines would have articles about how to dress and achieve their style, tips on hair and make up and celebrity endorsement of products began.