I really wish I had read Personal Beauty and Charm when I was a teenager. To think that I’ve had so many wasted years without the wonderful world of perfume. Oh, the horror! 1952: How to Start Using Perfume Part of a young girl’s training in being lovely is the use and care of perfume. A […]
Tag: 1950s
R is for Relaxation
I won’t go into details, but this week has been a bit stressful for me. Thankfully, ABC’s of Beauty, written by the lovely Babs Lee, helped me get organized and stress-free. On the book’s flap copy, Babs writes: “I started collecting these beauty rules some ten years ago and alphabetizing them for my own convenience and […]
How to Light a Cigarette
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What is the proper etiquette for lighting someone else’s cigarette? A friend of mine said if you’re using a lighter you light their’s first and your’s next, but if you’re using matches you light your’s first because of the sulfury taste of matches. I though you always light their’s first, but […]
Mermaidiana
I’m just back from a weekend trip to Nags Head, N.C., where I picked up some more books at a favorite shop on the Outer Banks. I also tested out a few of the tips listed here, from John Robert Powers and Mary Sue Miller’s Secrets of Charm. Well, ok, I didn’t really try these, but […]
Daintiness
So much can be learned from the dedications of books. I quote Mr. Lelord Kordel, author of this selection (from Lady, Be Loved): I do not believe that the American woman is as desirable as she can be, although I will grant that she excels the women of other nations in almost all points of outward attractiveness. […]
Keeping Well
This one goes out to my brother Chris, who’s been feeling a bit under the weather this week. It’s just a little reminder of how we all need to take care of ourselves, pulled from Here We Go, a book written for second graders in 1955 as a part of the “Health Action Series.” Feel better, […]
None of the Guys Like Me!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I really haven’t had a boyfriend and my best friend gets a new one every time she breaks up with one. I was told it’s because I look like I beat guys up but I don’t. None of the guys like me. What do I do? Signed, Seeking Love A Dear […]
Leopard Skin and Grandmothers ~ A Bad Mix?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What should I do about my mother-in-law? She is gregarious and outspoken. Frankly she appalls me. Which brings me to another question – should a grandmother wear leopard skin capri pants? Signed, Simply Shocked A Dear Shocked: Leopard print! I bet the grandkids love that. So please, for the sake of […]
All I Want for Xmas? Stop Nagging Me, Mother!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My parents are coming to visit soon. Problem is, they drive me batty with their subtle nagging and criticism of how I run my house. I don’t know if I can survive Christmas. Why don’t they let me grow up? Weary Daughter A Dear Weary: You would think that the joy […]
Falling in Love with a Married Man
This was originally written long ago with Monica Lewinsky on the mind, but perhaps it will continue to guide other young people as they make decisions about who they spend their time with. 1956: Falling in Love with a Married Man Very little has ever been written about falling in love with a married man. […]