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Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
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And of course there's the 1917 version of Cleopatra starring Theda Bara. Sadly, only 20 seconds have survived of the two and a half hour long film. (2 1/2 hours!  )
"Many believe the film to be among the most elaborate and expensive of its time. The film is known for Bara’s risque outfits
and some claim that her privates were exposed several times throughout the movie."..traumunddexzes
I highly doubt Theda's va-jay-jay was exposed.
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Theda would probably have to work out and drop a few pounds to be a big star today, or even in the mid 1920s. By the 1920s, the "flapper" ideal favored thinner body types, basically gamin and flat chested bordering on anorexic. Some flappers bound their chests and went on severe diets.
By 1929 and the early 1930s, feminine curves and longer (non bobbed) hair came back into style. Garbo led the way when she came to America and became popular in the late 1920s. Mae West for a brief period exemplified an even more chunky look.
By the mid or late 1930s, a preference for fit, athletic women came into style as more women participated in sports. Paulette Goddard, Hedy Lamarr, Kate Hepburn, etc. Fit, with curves, neither heavy nor extremely flapper thin. It approached the current ideal. Even Garbo dropped some pounds in the 1930s to satisfy the fitness trend. She would walk for miles, a practice she kept into old age when she lived in Manhattan.
Mae West if anything gained weight, but she remained popular as a comic parody of herself, bordering on camp. She laughed all the way to the bank. Her films with WC Fields remain classics of course.
Calinative.