60 Images Of LA Women Living Their Best Lives In 1962

These images capture that sense that anything was possible in the City of Angels. Some of these women were already breaking barriers, like that determined dental student and the tiger trainer at Jungleland, while others were embracing the glamour and traditions of the time. What's beautiful about these photographs is how they capture women from every corner of LA society, all living their own version of the California dream.

Whether they're crowning beauty queens or conducting tea ceremonies, these ladies had a certain swagger that could only come from living in a place where reinventing yourself wasn't just possible, it was expected. You can see it in their posture, their smiles, the way they carry themselves. These final images capture that last golden moment before the social revolutions of the late '60s changed everything, when being a woman in Los Angeles meant you could be absolutely anything you wanted to be.