My Goal.

Welcome to my blog! - Now here's a little insight into my forever obsession...Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved the look of the 40s, the 50s and the early 60s. With starlets like Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Bridget Bardot, Betty Grable. All such gorgeous woman; and all so many different shapes and sizes. Lauren Bacall will always be a favourite of mine, her long legs, smokey voice and of course the ability to tame a man like Humphrey Bogart. Then of course there was “the look” not only was it alluring to those watching her, but the story behind it still makes me giggle like a school girl, to know that something that was and is so resoundingly known for loves of classic films, was actually completely out of necessity. Now, if my sources are correct (and I like to believe that they are) while on the set of To Have and Have Not, Bacall was so nervous around her future husband Humphrey Bogart, that the only was she could keep her voice from shaking was to keep her chin low to her chest and to use only her eyes to look up at him. 

 Left: "The Look" - Lauren Bacall

 Below: Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable - "How to Marry a Millionaire"

Now, as much as I would love to say that my goal is to look like Lauren Bacall, this goal would be completely unrealistic. If you have never seen Lauren Bacall, then please let me fill you in. Bacall was not only known for her smokey voice and “the look”, she was also easily recognizable from her height (which although is roughly the same as mine, which makes me happy) – but she was also known for being incredibly slim. In fact, her nickname in her first film (To Have and Have Not) was in fact “Slim”. This is not a realistic goal for me as, although I am tall like Bacall, I am in no way going to ever be slim short of fatal illness or surgery. My family, as a whole, is somewhat on the heavier side of the ladder, however I have managed to avoid the (what seems to be) curse of genetics, (no offense to any family who may read this) the above were only recently introduced to me by my boyfriend; a movie fanatic and also a man who knows a thing or two about Bogart – whom happens to be his idol.

I still remember the first time I saw this curvy starlet, her hair was still as rich as spun gold, it was a painting, a nude – the first I had ever seen at my tender age (my earliest memory of this image being when I was roughly 5) Above my grandfather’s desk, in the study was a painting, larger than life of a young Marilyn Monroe. I fell in love with her, not in a lesbian “I want a piece of that” way – but in an “I wish I could have met her, seen her, been her” sort of way.         Right: The image I saw as a child.

And in this lies my task. This section will be called “My Year to Marilyn Monroe” – (yes, I am spinning off of the movie title (released recently) “My week with Marilyn”. I know I did it, so don’t say it. There are some conditions to this movement though. I am not as short as Miss Monroe, and I know that if I try to replicate her exact measurements, I will a) snap in half or b) end up in the hospital. So I am going to basically look at what she was, figure out what I am and find what would be an actual realistic scale of it. Think of it like this, when a model maker creates a 1/5th scale of a boat, he doesn’t just change the length, there is more scaling in it. So that it what I will be doing. Think of it as if Lauren Bacall had the curves of Marilyn.  In fact, it’s exactly like that!

Now, I am going to put more research into this, there is a lot of skepticism around what her actual size was; no one seems to know the facts. So what I did was record as many of the measurements I could find for the bust, waist and hips, then found the average for each of them and I will go from there. I have noticed a large trend in the numbers though. They are usually within 2 inches of each other, and the film studio always gave a larger hip and bust size, probably hoping to emphasize her curves to make men drool (an unnecessary measure to go to – men don’t read the size, they see the curve!) Now, I will be a good girl and show my work of course:


            M-1    M-2    M-3    M-4     M-5    M - 6    M-7     M- 8    M-9    M-10    Average      
Bust    35in    37in    35in    37in    36in    38in    35.5in    37in    37in    36in    36.5in      
Waist   22in    23in    22in    23in    24in    23in    23.5in    23in    24in    23in    23in      
Hips    37in    37in    35in    37in    34in    36in    35.5in    36in    35in    37in    36in      
Height   ACTUAL:    5ft 5 ½   

Now, my current measurements are unbeknownst to myself…I will be measuring myself, and after that I will be keeping a chart to track my original measurements (what I have now) and my “Marilyn Measurements” scaled to my height, and also inserting in measurements every week. I am also going to attach pictures every Sunday. I will make sure that they are the same clothes, same lighting and same pose. Hopefully, if all goes well I can make short work of this, however I know that this sort of look will require maintenance, and I am willing to go the extra mile.

Now, here is what I will NOT be doing:

~No weight loss supplements (slimfast, water pills, diet pills etc)
~No surgery (obviously I could spend every penny I will ever have, go to a surgeon and tell them “Make me look like this” – but that (in my opinion) is cheating and therefore will not be tolerated.
~No starving, purging or any other harmful (and stupid) short term “dieting” as some call it.
~No slacking in the gym or on here.(the last little while I have been VERY accident prone and therefore “unable” to ~go to the gym due to “my legs hurt” or “I’m tired” excuses- NO MORE!) I am also really bad for starting blogs with ~the wrong intentions and therefore leave them once I stop caring.
~No giving up. I know that I may not make my full goal (that waist measurement looks like a dozy to me) however I will always put 100% into my workout and my new lifestyle.
 

What I can/am to do:

~I am to attend the gym no less than 5 times a week for 45+ min
~I am to drink more water and tea to keep hydration up (something I am terrible for)
~Remember why I am doing this – which I haven’t really mentioned yet. – I have always struggled with the fact that I was “a little curvier” than most and a LOT taller than many…then I rediscovered the era of the curves (40s-early 60s) and I realized that with effort and sheer will I could do it. Now, I will not give up until I reach my goal
~I am to be realistic – the waist measurement may not happen, but as long as it’s not bigger than the other 2 numbers, I will have reached a point of a true hour glass figure
~I am to make a habit of updating this, even on the off days, with anything. I am going to set specific days to do things, Every Sunday for a measurement and then a few days in between for anything that strikes me, from articles, books, movies and of course anything retro inspired. Who knows, maybe someday I will be able to look back at this and think “I did that” – or I could think “wow, I really over-think things some times” but oh well. Here’s to a new year, a new life and hopefully a new look! As I said, this is just one section of the blog. I have lots of New Years Resolutions, may as well track them here, right?

Here is to a new life, a new goal, and new outlook on life. Here's to you Marilyn. CHEERS!