Yesterday's Paper was the title of the club's entertaining and informative talk by speaker Mr Parkin.
It started with advertisements from 1836 onwards, claiming the effectiveness of false teeth held in place by atmospheric pressure, a folding steam bath which resembled a small tank and electric corsets to help achieve the fashionable narrow waist of the time.
The very first fashion magazine of 1840 was directed at men and members saw how they were very vain about their hair heavily dressed with macassar oil and the ever increasing size of moustaches.
Adverts were not regulated until 1941 and members saw examples of a "fat buster" which not only reduced the lady to half her weight but also transformed her into a beauty.
It was interesting to see not only the changes in fashions but also the shape of women from the hourglass of 1900s to the straight up and down on the 1930s as well as the way women were portrayed, often as good little women in the kitchen.
Newspapers have changed too.
Right up until the 1960s, The Times had just adverts in very small print on the front page, even the declaration of war was inside on page three. The language has changed too. Members saw how "The whole of Westerham went gay on the day of the pageant". Weddings were usually described as "pretty".
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