Honey sweetie pie! Sweetness! Baby sweetie darling! Here are some words on this lovely subject from volume one of Frances Dare’s Lovely Ladies: The Art of Being a Woman. Hope you enjoy it, sweetheart. 1929: Sweetness and Kindness Every real woman must be sweet, and she must express her sweetness in kindness. The real sweetness that […]
Tag: 1920s
Thank Me Now For This Advice
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I need to send a thank you note for something that was given to me two months ago. How can I do it without seeming too beggy-sorry-sappy? Signed, Wizzbo A Dear Wizzbo: My advice to you is to get that thank you note sent right away, before it gets really awkward. Here […]
Respect Your Elders, You Little Punk!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I want to know if you’re over one hundred because this site is making me fall asleep like my grandma makes me do. So, are you over one hundred? Do you wear dentures, or do you prefer a wig? Signed, Old Lady Hater A Dear Hater: Tsk, tsk. I’m ashamed of […]
Etiquette’s Reward
Here’s a refresher course on etiquette, brought to you by Lillian Eichler’s Book of Etiquette. Enjoy! 1923: Etiquette’s Reward Etiquette is like the binding of a book ~ just as the binding reveals the name of the book, and protects the valuable pages that are inside, so does etiquette reveal the breeding and culture of an […]
Color Me Offended
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What the hell kind of logic is this “understanding and dating boys” [four-letter expletive beginning with sh and ending with t, deleted by the hostess so the children can keep reading]? Not everyone that is female enjoys the color pink. In fact, some prefer black. Assuming that girls like dresses and avoid tomboyishness […]
Wise Purchases and Wardrobe Economy
I don’t know why exactly, but as soon as the cooler weather hits town, I always feel the need for a whole new wardrobe. Must be jealousy ~ I see all those kids in their new school clothes and yearn for a fresh outfit and a new notebook. The following advice came in handy when […]
A Sunny Disposition
“This little book is born of a desire to help and encourage our girls who are struggling with the problems that come up in teens,” Mabel Hale writes in the foreword to Beautiful Girlhood. “Youth has its problems, its heartaches, and disappointments. It is not always a smooth path to the perfection of womanhood.” Ya got […]
Is She an Old Maid?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My sister is thirty-two years old and unmarried. Is she an old maid? Is there any hope or should we give up? Signed, Antoine A Dear Antoine: Give up? Thirty-two is certainly not dead. Besides, she might be perfectly happy with her singleness. I bet she’s absolutely joyous! Even though it […]
Family Feuding
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My mother and I disagree about a lot of things, especially the way I dress. I am perfectly neat, and I feel like I choose things that suit me and my personality. Still, she feels like picking a fight with me about every little thing. How can I tell her that […]
First Aid to Orderliness
I’ve been making a big mess this week hand-making invitations to my sister’s upcoming baby shower. It’s been quite the project, and the remaining clippings of paper and ribbon are still covering my coffee table. (I don’t know why I don’t just buy invitations!) Perhaps these tips, from Mother’s Own Book, will help me keep a little […]