27th February 2011 / 7 Comments
Woman /
23rd December 1967
Here’s a treat: Marje Proops’ “Counselling in-the Round”. We’ve come in at the middle, as sadly I don’t have the issues either side of this one, but this is clearly something more ambitious than a problem page. Marje Proops’ advice is, in my view, spot on. This seems to be a classic case of what happens when a society insists marriage must accompany sex: two people get hitched whilst still riding on a wave of lust, and, as Marje says, either grow to love each other, or things turn sour soon after.
I hope this couple came to understand each other a little better as a result of this, especially as it’s hinted that the ‘other man’ isn’t really interested in sweeping this woman off her feet. Although this is clearly a bit of a sad case, it’s also a fascinating glimpse of a time when your attitude to BBC Two was an accurate marker of your class, and when those class distinctions actually mattered. Of course, there are still socio-economic groups in British society, and although the gap between the rich and poor is wider nowadays than it was even in 1967, there does seem to be a more fluid definition of class for the people in the middle, with fewer real markers of where you fit.
Tags: Marje Proops, marriage, problem page
24th February 2011 / 4 Comments
Woman /
23rd December 1967
Isn’t this dress FAB? And I know at least two friends of mine that would love to make it.
Tags: fashion
17th April 2010 / No Comments Yet
Woman /
17th August 1973
This is a well-argued article on euthanasia, which shows us how long the debate has been going on for, and although I think Diana Norman’s argument isn’t that helpful for degenerative conditions, it’s nice to see such a thoughtful piece in a woman’s magazine. Also, it’s a real shock to see the reference to ‘woman’s new freedom’ at the end of the article, at a time when my mother would have been around my age. We haven’t come quite as far as we think we have…
Tags: debate
11th April 2010 / No Comments Yet
Woman /
17th August 1973
I picked this page because of the piece about dates of birth not being obligatory to open a National Savings account: for foreign readers, National Savings is the bank of the UK’s Treasury, offering investors a variety of savings and investments, all backed by the UK government, which, along with the US government, is just about as safe as you can get. The old saying about it being rude to ask a lady her age still holds a certain sway here, but I can’t imagine any woman of my generation being so neurotic about it that it stops her from opening a savings account. I also doubt very much that anyone’s allowed to withhold that information now, given the much larger volumes of data that are held about citizens nowadays. It’s a bit scary, really.
This isn’t the only thing to make this page interesting, though. There’s a great discussion around what motivates people to own shares, which is still relevant today, although the prejudices will of course be different. Not only that, but it seems that mortgages have always been a bit of a minefield when it comes to selling finance: the endowment policies that this article seems to praise also ran into trouble in the mid 1990s, due to the low inflation in the UK during this period, but were still sold to customers, causing a mis-selling scandal. Knowledge is power, people.
Tags: blatant sexism, dodgy advice, social history
23rd February 2010 / 2 Comments
Woman /
17th August 1973
It may have been designed by Lord Snowdon, but there’s a good reason why you can’t get the Chairmobile today: it quite clearly doesn’t work. Granny may think it a terrific wheeze to go to the shops in her armchair, but heaven help her when she finds the first uneven pavement on the way.
Tags: failed inventions, household, retail
9th February 2010 / 5 Comments
Woman /
17th August 1973
Kellogg’s have suggested recipes to consumers of Rice Krispies for years, but this is the first example of activities I’ve seen them suggest without using the famous cereal. The recipe suggestions continue up to the present day on their website, but it’s a shame they’ve turned Snap, Crackle and Pop into such annoying twats on the US version.
Tags: food, Kelloggs, kids, motherhood, retail
7th February 2010 / 6 Comments
Woman /
17th August 1973
A triumph? More like a bloody miracle…
Tags: Angel Delight, dodgy advice, food, kids, retail
30th January 2010 / 7 Comments
Woman /
17th August 1973
Just because I think this is rather a cute advert, and because I want ALL of that ice-cream.
Tags: blatant sexism, food, kids, retail, Walls
15th November 2009 / 5 Comments
Woman /
23rd December 1967
Just look at Evelyn. Now that’s a face you can trust, and her sensible advice bears that out, especially to the silly woman being used as a doormat, and the wife too afraid to tell her husband that she’s not enjoying sex. It’s reassuring to know that even as long ago as 1967, this sort of help was available and readily advocated by womans’ magazines.
Tags: Evelyn Home, problem page
11th November 2009 / 3 Comments
Woman /
23rd December 1967
Goodness me, and I thought Cosmo was bad. ‘How to be liked by everybody’ is very pre-feminist, isn’t it?
Tags: blatant sexism, fashion, retail, social history