The Thick Ankle Cartoon

I've posted in the past about the 1920s "ankle" obsession, and in particular the occasional advertisements by hosiery manufacturers (among others) about statues having unfashionably "thick ankles."

Despite the number of comments informing me that some people continue to hold thin ankles in high esteem, I've remained baffled as to why STATUES should have thin ankles, and why several different people were picking on them.

I don't have a good explanation, but at least I'm not crazy...cartoonist Henry Holmes Smith thought it was weird as well! Here's his cartoon from November 10, 1928:


I feel SO vindicated!

Fat Ankles Again

Last year I blogged about a 1920s hosiery company who constantly poked fun at the "fat ankles" of famous statues.

It seemed obvious to me that statues generally HAD to have fat ankles to prevent them from falling over, but in any case it was a silly thing meant to highlight the "ankle slenderizing" designs of the latest stockings; a desperate advertising meme and nothing more.

Now, one year later in real time (and almost three years in "New Yorker time," September 1st, 1928), it's the editors making the jibes:

"Across the street from Sherman and his golden horse is a good statue--the lady in the fountain. It is not the best statue we have ever seen (the lady has fat ankles..."

I'm AMAZED that people ever noticed the ankles on statues. I'm even MORE amazed that intelligent people thought that statues should physically conform to real human bodies. It truly is no lie that folks WERE obsessed with ankles in the 1920s.

A New Yorker Catch-All

Certain subjects keep popping up in 1927's New Yorker magazines. Rather than write about them all, here's the general gist:

1. The Synder-Gray murder case, and the new trend of having literary stars report on the proceedings.
2. Bobbed hair, waved hair, bobbed and waved hair.
3. Pearlescent fingernail polish.
4. The Stickley Ridgeless Guest Davenport ("No ridge down the center! -- it must be a Stickley")
5. Innumerable puns involving "wets" and "drys".
6. New movie theaters that are huge and ostentatious.
7. The French debt after the conclusion of WWI (and jokes therein).
8. The convenience of living in an "apartment hotel" or "residential hotel" (as opposed to in your own apartment or -- get this -- at the club.)
9. The joys of slumming at Coney Island.
10. Radio sucks and is hard to hear.
11. Only wear stockings which make your ankles appear slim. And in the spring, wear special "stocking guards" to protect you from splashing taxi cabs.

Muffy's Extreme Panache Scared the Bridesmaids...

...But Her Ankles Were Like Fatty Sausages!

It doesn't matter how happy you are, or how much dancing you do, or how many complements you receive...if your ankles aren't thin enough then you might as well be DIRT! And nobody wants to be DIRT, girls. But "Onyx Pointex" hosiery can turn your dirt into gold!

(Please note bonus Funkadelic CD)

Galatea's Beauty Tamed the Dreaded Cyclops...

...But He Probably Never Looked at Her Ankles!

Nature was generous in the way she chiseled Galatea's classic features. But, she was more than generous in the girth she bestowed on Galatea's ankles. Even her fabled facial beauty could hardly compensate for her ankles--unless, of course, she wore "Onyx Pointex."

The New Yorker, December 4, 1926

As usual the folks at Onyx Hosiery were taking a swipe at a defenseless statue. Tell a girl today that "ankle girth" is more important than "facial beauty" and I hope she'll laugh at you. And then kick you in the ankle.

Diana's Ankles Were Nothing Like Those of the Greyhound She Held in Leash

"Dame Nature didn't exactly CHEAT Diana on ankles. The fact is she was far too generous. Diana measured almost as much at the ankle line as the modern stocking does at the calf. And so, if Diana's fabled charms were weighed in the balance today and judged by 1926 standards of beauty, they would be found more wanting than wanted--UNLESS--unless she wore "Onyx Pointex"!"

The New Yorker, November 6, 1926, p.41.

Yup, while other hosiery retailers of the day were content just to pick on regular human beings, these "Onyx Hosiery" folks consistenly picked on STATUES. They kept saying that specific statues have fat ankles. Well, did they consider that those statues NEEDED to have thick ankles in order to keep them from falling over?

Might as well complain of a skyscraper's "fat waist" or something.

Sheesh!

Psyche's Ankles Wouldn't Pass Inspection TODAY

"The most mythological thing about Psyche was the fabled charm of her ankle lines. Psyche's beauty may have excited Venus to green-eyed flights of jealousy, but, when one considers her ankle-girth, she'd never cause the modern girl to miss a heart-beat--UNLESS Psyche wore "Onyx Pointex". For, Psyche's ankles were FAT! They would be as much out of place on a country club porch today as a bustle or a leg o' mutton sleeve.

"This is, as remarked before--UNLESS she wore "Onyx Pointex".

"For, "Pointex" is that little wonder-working slenderizer at the back of the heel that accentuates every graceful charm that Nature places in ankles. "Pointex" allows ankles to look their best--stockings to wear their best. You will find this little worker of ankle miracles ONLY in "Onyx"."

The New Yorker, October 9, 1926

Reading these old New Yorker magazines, I'm getting increasingly interested in the "age of scary advertising" ushered in during the '20s. Before that, advertisements made grand claims...but they didn't often try to make you feel insecure. In the '20s, advertising agencies discovered the power of scaring the hell out of you, a power that we're very much in thrall to today.

So ladies...have you thought about your FAT ANKLES lately?