Friday, November 16, 2007

The Good Wife's Guide

This article appeared in Housekeeping Monthly in May of 1955. Or did it? There's a controversy out on the Internet where this article is fast circulating about its validity. Was it possibly written in more current times, to poke fun at the 1950s mentality? Or was it really written at the time?

Either way, people love talking about it! How could it not raise questions like, well, first: What?!

And then, since these media messages were out there at the time in some form: Did people really take these suggestions seriously? What were the relationships like day-to-day? What's the "role of a wife" considered to be today, or is there one?

One online response that I appreciated was one woman's Good Husband's Guide. What a way to get a point across while having fun!

Most of all, I think the article is also a good opportunity to ask, Who are women--and girls--to themselves first? After all, self-hood is the foundation of any relationship.

Well, readers, what do you think about this article?

Evidence of modern-day empowered women in relationships could be a great prompt for a submission to Howling at the Moon (Email them to blog@newmoon.org.).

Here's are a link about the controversy:

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/goodwife.asp

May your day bring joy, Bissy (Elizabeth!)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I THINK THAT IS ABSOLUTLY TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT THE WOMAN'S GUIDE TO BEING A GOOD SLAVE!!! IT CENTERS AROUND THE HIGH AND MIGHTY MAN:( IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT SIMPLER IF THEY HAD JUST SAID, DO WHAT YOUR HUSBAND WANTS AND DON'T COMPLAIN. IT WOULD HAVE SAVED SEVRAL TREES!!!!



HOWL HOWL HOWL!!!!!

Anonymous said...

HOW TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yep you're right. But why would you
marry someone who keeps on barking
orders at you?And why would they assume you're husband's like that?