1949: Correct Proportions

Someday I'll do a comparison of all of the "average" or "ideal" weight charts, by age and height, in all of my books. I just stumbled across another one, a bit surprisingly in the Searchlight Homemaking Guide, revised in 1949 from an earlier 1937 edition published by Household Magazine. The chapter title, nestled among the ones on cooking and cleaning, caught my eye: "Exercise and Good Looks."

But instead of focusing on the weight chart right now, I'd like to share something the authors titled "Correct Proportions." This caught my eye, as I have recently been "reducing" as they used to say, and also had to get myself measured for the wedding dress in the past few months.

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Many women like to have some basis for correct proportions of the body to guide them, especially if they are attempting to gain or lose weight. The following figures will serve as a guide. Measurements should be increased a little for persons of greater height, and reduced a little for shorter persons.

Height..............................5 feet 5 inches
Shoulders, over arms...... 42 inches
Bust................................. 34 inches
Waist............................... 26 inches
Hips................................ 38 inches
Ankle.............................. 8 inches
Wrist............................... 6 inches
Weight............................ 122 pounds
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Who knew there were guidelines for what the ideal size of women's wrists and ankles should have been!?

1941: The Blossoming of Love

I'm pretty much an idiot when it comes to dating (why do you think I have all of these books, anyway?), and one thing I'm still pretty awkward about is using the word boyfriend, particularly when introducing him to people. Every time I say it I giggle, for no good reason! It's horrible, I know! Maybe if I had had a boyfriend in high school I would have gotten over this earlier in life.

I tried to find some advice about this topic but didn't come up with anything directly. But this entry, from Lillian Eichler's 1941 edition of New Book of Etiquette, cuts me a little slack, don't you think? (ok, I know it's a stretch...)

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It is impossible for anyone to give rules and regulations for the conduct of lovers. Modern etiquette is too sensible to standardize their conduct, too sensible to attempt with rules to rob love of its joyous spontaneity, its quaint and beautiful discoveries, its impulsive tendernesses. To make rules and regulations for lovers would be like making paper patterns for flowers. It simply cannot be done.

Monsieur de la Rochefoucauld says of lovers that "All there talk is of themselves." Not only all their talk but all their thoughts are of themselves. Love is selfish, but it is a selfishness that the world generously forgives. Our one word of suggestion is that the lovers do not think so exclusively of themselves that they neglect those who, at this time, deserve a little thought and attention from them.
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Point taken, Ms. Eichler, point taken.

1949: Nine to Five Shift

Life at work has been a bit hectic this week. How does a last-minute office move while there are seemingly a zillion things to do sound? Yeah, exactly.

Still trying to think happy thoughts, I turned to the books to see if I could find any tips that would help us all get through the mess of a big move. I actually found a pamphlet while packing up my desk that could be handy: "How to Deal with Stress." But I also checked the books at home, and found this tidbit from The Betty Betz Career Book: The Teen-Age Guide to a Successful Future. In it, Betz offers all sorts of advice for getting and keeping a job, include this one for when things get a little troublesome:

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Even in the smoothest-run office things sometimes get bungled up, but try not to let your temperature rise to a boiling point. No matter how unfair a situation seems, hysterics, tears and temper won't set it straight. Worse yet, running to your fellow workers to blab your problem will just cause trouble. Keep calm, button up your troubles and everything will work out sooner or later. When it does, you'll be glad that you didn't blow your top, for that never gets you any place. Chances are that a day after the big pow-row you'll forget the whole thing and be busy working on some other project.
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OK, everyone--back to work!