If you think you need a steady hand to apply eyeliner, then try drawing straight seams up the backs of your legs! During WW2 when stockings were in short supply women were encouraged to use liquid stockings instead, and to draw the seams using eyeliner (or to get a friend to do it for you!).
I particularly like the fact that there are lots of cats in this picture. My grandma said that they used gravy-browning as liquid stockings but there was always the issue of cats and dogs wanting to lick your legs because they smelled nice and meaty!
Image source and copyright: Time LIFE archives
Great photos! I have always loved this little tid bit about women did to keep up with the fashion trends during the war. I never knew about the cats though, that is hilarious!
Thanks for the post.
Liz 🙂
I know. I have no idea whether the gravy browning thing was just something they did, or whether it was widespread!!! Always made me laugh!
This is fascinating.
Never knew about this phenomenon.. Bare legs were really that much disliked?
I think it was all to do with the government initiative to keep up morale by getting women to look glamorous – and lipstick and stockings (even if you had to fake them) was an important part of this! You can read more here: http://weheartvintage.co/2014/02/04/beauty-solutions-of-the-1940s-wartime-workarounds/ 🙂
Hilarious, my nan did exactly the same thing, but in Germany!! So it must have been fairly widely spread. They stained their legs with coffee or tea. So amazing!
This is too funny about the graving browning! No wonder there are so so many cats in the photos! Lol I saw the first photo and I had to do a double take when I saw that cat licking himself in the background. Stockings were all the rage I see….you had to have them!