Seriously, there would be hundreds of thousands of lawsuits today. How was that OK back then? I mean, what was the purpose?
I have heard that was done in American colleges back then @GraceT . I believe someone posted about it on here a while back.
I did indeed post about this some years back. But heavens knows on what thread. In any case, here is a good link which describes more than I could ever write about here. It's a really fascinating bit of history which would now be a big 'no-no' subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League_nude_posture_photos
The purpose seems far-fetched to us nowadays, but back in the 1920s, when such posture photo studies were first being conducted, the ideas behind the theory were more or less standard throughout society. That how you looked and presented yourself to society and others could influence how you developed later in life. That body physique could determine a life trajectory.
It's really an off-shoot on racial theory in a way, but instead of considering skin pigmentation, the idea was that physical differences within one race, white Caucasians in this instance, could also influence, even determine, how one's later life developed into a success or failure because of the body's innate characteristics and condition.
I'm not sure if any conclusions were ever seriously drawn from the tens of thousands of photos taken.
Here another related link:
https://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/student-organizations-and-activities/athletics/posture-and-photographs