Gibson Girl
noun
Forms Gibson Girls
- noun A personification of American ideal feminine beauty around the beginning of the 20th century, depicted as voluptuous but ladylike and fashionable.
- noun (US, military, slang, historical) A survival radio transmitter carried by aircraft on over-water operations.
Etymology
Introduced in the satirical works of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in the 1890s.
(radio transmitter): So called from its hourglass shape (allowing it to be held between one's legs while the generator handle was turned), supposed to resemble a womanly figure.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “Gibson Girl”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details