Oct 6, 2000 / FW/ --- Someone once wrote, "The concept of feminine beauty, far from being ideal, has undergone so many changes since time immemorial that only clothing stylists and mannequin manufacturers seem to have been able to stand the pace."

If you work in the fashion and entertainment industry, you will know the Marilyn Monroe who was considered a goddess during the 1950s and 1960s will be considered "fat" by today's standards.

And Kate Moss, whose waif-like and thin looks catapulted her to world fame during the 1990s would be considered undesirable in Hollywood during the time of Marilyn Monroe.

And if we go back farther back in time, Kate Moss would never be a source of delight to the Dutch Renaissance painters of the 16th century who liked thier human subjects on the chubby side.

Conversely, a buxom tavern wench of the 16th century could never make the pages of Vogue, let alone the cover.

Mannequin manufacturers are very much aware of the changing ideal of beauty. Every year, at the Shop East Convention in New York and the Euroshop in Germany, new lines of mannequins are introduced to the market.

It is not only the beauty ideal that changes. The socio- economic forces also play a big role in what types of mannequins come out of the market.

Consider that in 1948 mannequins had a large turned-up nose, eyebrows arched almost to the hairline and wide red lips stretching across her face.

Her bust was large, placed lower than it is today; deep hips were marked by protruding pelvic bones, and stomachs were flat.

Show that to any stylist or fashion designer today, and they would say, "No way I can use this!"

Except for the flat stomach, the hips will be considered too wide, the bustline definitely needs a visit to a plastic surgeon and the eyebrows need to be worked on.

Just a few years later, during the 1950s, mannequins have bushy eyebrows, with only a slight arch. The nose was highly bridged and no longer turned up. Although the flaming red lipstick was still there, the mouth was narrower than in the previous decade.

There was also more variety in the bust size. While the pelvis was still accentuated, hip contours were rounded and more shallow.

The 1960s brought us Twiggy, Patti Boyd and Jean Shrimpton mannequins, courtesy of Adel Rootstein who created mannequins based on them. Their youthful beauty is forever molder in fiberglass.

The 1970s brought the nippled mannequins. Shoulder-length hair obscured facial features on both sides of the head, and a fringe all but eliminated the eyebrows. There was a heavy emphasis on long eyelashes in compensation for this.

The nose was still pert, however, with a lower bridge sinking almost into the skull before it reached the forehead.

The 1970s mannequins also have flesh-colored and smaller mouths, pursed into a near-kiss. The jaw was emphasized and rose into a steeper climb toward the ears. The bust was higher, younger and smaller.

The waist was small, but the shallow hip is rounded with no hint of a pelvis at all.

More attention was given to the thighs in deference to the mini-skirt, and the general stance of the mannequin suggested movement in keeping with a middle-aged world's obsession with youthful vitality.

The 1980s continued that trend, but this time, the youthful vitality was from the young, not from an obsession.

Glamour was back, Hollywood ruled and the pursuit of beauty became a way of life. Mannequins had calves, to show the interest in aerobics and physical fitness. Male mannequins became more real, their "bulge" showing, unlike their predecessors which were androgynous.

The 1990s became more playful, the realism was more in the body, and not on the face. Pucci and Patina came out with almost cartoonlike faces and they were hits. Greneker came out with separated toes in their mannequins. Gemini came introduced mannequins with two heel heights.

Mannequins became the true mirror of the times, changing with the ideal and the socio-economic forces affecting the real world of customers they cater to.