Woman's Weekly / 4th July 1969
Dammit Mary, I hate it when you’re so bloody reasonable. I’m pleased we’re past the point of having books called ‘Careers for Girls’, though, regardless of how sensible the rest of your advice is. I was also touched by the widow going on holiday by herself for the first time, which can be daunting today, let alone back then. I hope she had a lovely time!
Tags: careers, Mary Marryat, problem page
Woman's Weekly / 4th July 1969
Given the amount of Diamond Jubilee tat on sale, I thought you all might enjoy this attempt to cash in on the investiture of Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969.
Tags: Diamond Jubilee, polish, tat
Woman's Weekly / 14th May 1965
I’ve written about Phensic before, but I find their code for period pain quite fascinating. No wonder so many people were confused about sex and periods, if the only references made were as heavily veiled as this.
Tags: blatant sexism, health, periods
Woman's Weekly / 30th April 1965
Goodness me, this is a bit blatant. I wouldn’t mind betting that this sort of thing is no longer allowed under the CAP code…
Tags: baking, dodgy advice
Woman's Weekly / 14th May 1965
She ought to get that seen to. Seriously, though, and I know I’ve gone on about this before, but aren’t Trimmetts basically advocating that you eat their biscuits for the rest of your life? I reckon you’d have far more fun as a ‘fat maiden’.
Tags: blatant sexism, diets, dodgy advice
Woman's Weekly / 14th May 1965
I’d love to state that Brenda’s problem is a thing of the past, but a simple Google search proves that sexual harassment at work is still alive and well. I’m pleased that I’ve never had to endure it, but there have been situations where being a woman has almost been seen as a character trait, rather than something out of my control.
Still, at least no agony aunt would begin a reply to this sort of letter nowadays with a victim-blaming statement of the sort that Mary trots out, although it’s worth remembering that Brenda had little power to change her situation back then. Sexual harassment claims are still tricky to prove without witnesses willing to back the claim up, or unambiguous written proof, but at least most companies worth working for have a procedure to deal with them.
Woman's Weekly / 7th May 1965
I’m sure a good rinse with Optrex will sort Bern out. (From ‘The Ranger In The Hills’)
Tags: blatant sexism, romance
Woman's Weekly / 7th May 1965
Well, as regular readers know, I’ve had my differences with Mary Marryat, but she’s quite capable of good advice sometimes, and so it is here. Obviously, the ‘sharp things’ are a telling indication of the age in which the letter was written, and it’s curious that the writer doesn’t connect those comments with the plight of her poor sister, and her feeling that she is somehow responsible for informing a potential partner of her family’s ‘moral failings’. Mary is quite right to remark that for every unmarried mother, there is a father, but I would go a bit further than that, and suggest that the writer has had her first warning that her suitor is, frankly, something of a judgemental arsehole, who appears to be unaware that women can’t get pregnant on their own.
Tags: Mary Marryat, misplaced morality, pregnancy, problem page
Woman's Weekly / 28th May 1965
Some jokes are so easy, you feel cheap just telling them. But I’ve never claimed that I’m expensive.
Woman's Weekly / 4th July 1969
Oh, Sweetex. It’s really very lazy just to have an already-thin model hold up a dress of the same size against her, and just tighten the belt. Not to mention that if her waist really was that small, she’d be very ill indeed…
Tags: diets, dodgy advice