Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, offers a striking glimpse into the early twentieth-century origins of diet culture in British print media. Featured in The Tatler in 1909, this advertisement for the slimming tonic, Antipon, reveals how beauty standards were marketed as both a moral duty and a social necessity.
The advert suggests that a graceful, slim figure can only be achieved by overcoming the "tendency to develop fat excessively”, with Antipon promoted as the solution. Women are promised effortless elegance without surgery, starvation, or exertion—just a “refreshing, tart liquid” that “contains only harmless vegetable ingredients” is needed. In order to justify these claims, the advert spouted scientific claims, stating that the tonic not only aided weight loss, but also strengthened the muscles and vital organs, and even prevented heart disease.
Antipon adverts often linked weight loss with the restoration of beauty. This particular ad, titled “Beauty is Power”, promotes a slim, fashionable silhouette as not just desirable, but essential. A telling line reads: “As Well be Oot o’ the World as Oot o’ the Fashion”, framing social belonging as dependent on one’s body shape.
To reinforce this message, the advert includes an illustration of two women descending a staircase in similar gowns—one who is slimmer and one who has a fuller figure. The image is accompanied by a demeaning commentary:
“Look at the sketch on this page of two women coming down the stairs wearing gowns built on exactly the same lines, but the effect is totally different. Let’s hope the woman on the right for her own peace of mind does not see herself as others see her. It is not only in evening gowns that she is a sorry sight.”
The ad goes further, blaming the woman herself:
“She always appears to be wearing the wrong clothes, it is not in the clothes, but in herself the fault lies.”
This rhetoric reinforces the idea that being “in fashion” is not just about what one wears, but about conforming to a particular body type—one that aligns with what society thinks is beautiful.
More than a century later, the messaging in this 1909 Tatler advert still resonates. While the language has evolved and platforms have shifted, social media continues to glorify narrowly defined body ideals, often using similar promises of “effortless” transformations. The media continues to feed on women’s insecurities surrounding weight and appearance. From detox teas to slimming supplements to meal replacement shakes promoted by influencers, the digital age has inherited and amplified the legacy of diet culture. The Antipon advert reminds us that the pressure to alter our bodies to meet ever-shifting standards of beauty is far from a modern phenomenon. The media has a long-standing tradition of commercialising insecurity.
Where to find this document
This document is part of our collection, The Tatler, 1901–1965. Consisting of more than 250,000 images, and comprising over 3,000 issues published between July 1901 and September 1965, The Tatler was one of various publications owned by The Illustrated London News (ILN). Focusing mainly on fashion, theatre, and sports (especially cricket and golf), The Tatler habitually regaled readers with news and gossip about Britain’s most prominent socialites, including aristocrats, athletes, and actors. Visit the collection page to learn more.
If you would like to read more about the relationship between the media and the glorification of an ideal body, please check out Nishah’s excellent article, “From the Archive: Beauty Standards and Diet Culture in British Print Media, 1901–1966”, which is free to view on our website.