Maybe it started when we saw our first ballet.
Or maybe it was all of those fairy tales - everyone usually just blames Cinderella by default - poor girl bears the burden of most modern day gender issues, so what's one more thing to add to the list? (I personally think Snow White should shoulder more of the blame and that people should leave poor Cinderella alone)!
Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Andrews, Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn (with Fred Astaire) twirling
Maybe celebrities are to blame. There are quite a few well known twirlers - Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Andrews, Sophia Loren and even Audrey Hepburn have been caught twirling.
Grace Kelly twirling in Edith Head dress in Rear Window 1954
And what about Grace? Maybe she started it in Rear Window twirling in that gorgeous Edith Head Gown in 1954.
1953-Jean Patchett twirling in a Bernard Newman dress Richard Avedon
I'm not sure how or where it started, but twirling seems to be here to stay. Pencil skirts are wonderful - wiggle dresses are divine. But there is something about flowing, romantic, breezy dresses that make even the most sensible women turn into 5 year old girls.
Little girls are natural twirlers, they do it without even thinking. But twirling is not just for the young - I challenge any adult woman to put on a 1950s tulle party dress or vintage silk chiffon party dress with a full skirt and stand completely still. Come on, admit it, when the dressing room curtain closes, you can't help but twirl, just a little!
Maybe we twirl because we like the way the layers of fabric ripple or catch the light as it moves through the air.
Maybe twirling makes us feel light, invincible, beautiful, young, romantic, or carefree. Or maybe it's as simple as - twirling is fun?
Dovima twirling in Balenciaga for Richard Avedon in 1950
Whatever or whomever is to blame; girls twirl, and that's a fact. Twirlability seems to be built in to the female DNA. So, from no on, don't resist the urge...put on your favorite dress (hopefully a vintage one) and twirl as much as you'd like. ( It will be our little secret).