Summary:

When we say that this or that is `well-fitted`, we usually imply that it makes the wearer look slimmer. In Advice for Those Who Wish to Look Tinner, Ingun Grimstad Klepp analyses books on etiquette from the 1960s and 2000s, as well as present-day magazines and blogs in an attempt to establish where and when this attitude came about. The author also tries to find answers to questions such as, Is there a difference between the slim body of the 1960s, and that of today? What is the relationship between standards in dress and in fashion? How do we express our notions about the body perfect – and how do we strive to achieve the perfect body? In what way do newspapers and magazines portray full-figured consumers – and how can plumper bodies be made socially acceptable and even beautiful?