Woman’s Own was one of the most popular post-war women’s magazines in Britain. Once the food rationing of the war years ended, the magazine began pedalling a slimming mantra. By the mid-1960s, it had elevated dieting to centre stage of its weekly beauty advice. Many of today’s weight-loss diets bear striking similarities with those of the 50s and 60s.
Listen to the story of how Woman’s Own magazine created a slimming culture in the UK which lasts to this day. The article is written by Myriam Wilks-Heeg, and read by Laura Hood for The Conversation’s In Depth, Out Loud podcast.
You can read the text version of this article here.
The music in this episode is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere from the Free Music Archive. A big thanks to City University London’s Department of Journalism for letting us use their studios to record.