So, yesterday we should have established what our friends thought of our appearance. How many of you were brave enough to actually ask them?
No, don’t worry I havent gone mad. I was sharing an article called “The art of being more attractive” from an old Woman’s Own magazine dated 1956.
Now its time, in the words of Phyllis Digby Morton to discuss our personality. It’s a survey again…and yes, you guessed it..we are supposed to ask our closest to analyse what we are like.
She does remind us, “Don’t be dismayed or discouraged, whatever the results.”
So here is the personality test. You or a friend are supposed to tick which one you are…so you can learn what you need to “work on”
Manners: charming, easy/mostly pleasant and considerate/a bit abrupt, ill at ease/sometimes ungracious
Conversation: always lively and stimulating/fine with friends but you dry up with strangers/painstaking-just a little on one track/lacks sparkle
Intelligence: above average (lets not say a lady is intelligent huh?)/good/brighter than you let on/just ordinary (heaven forbid)
Sense of humour: terrific/fairly keen (what?)/you usually see a joke/needs cultivating
Tact: you invariably say the right thing/generally pretty good/you try but often fail/you’re always putting your foot in it
Popularity: tremendous, you can’t help collecting friends/pretty high, most people take to you/just fair, you’re not the best of mixers/you just don’t get along with others
Sympathy and responsiveness: universal, you’d charm a bird off a tree/strong-but not to strangers/not very marked/cold, unsympathetic
Poise: outstandingly perfect (for real?)/good, seldom embarrassed/obviously nonplussed in strange surroundings/still a bit gauche
Temper (mine is starting to show with this character assassination): sunny, even tempered/good, except for the odd outburst/patchy, you need more control/ a little spiteful or sulky
PHEW! Well I think I will need a lot of work to be the perfect 1950s lady and be more attractive.
So if you have done this with me, you will now have a list of which areas need work. Phyllis, suggests “every morning read this aloud until it is etched in your mind”.
“Dont dismiss this advice as childish (as I clearly am). It was a method advocated to me by a psychiatrist who finds it of practical help to many of his patients.”
Gosh being a perfect 1950s woman is tough. Not only did she have to look after the family and home, often working too….she also had to work extra hard to ensure she was attractive. This is probably the expectation now to be fair…maybe things havent changed that much in 50 years.
In the mean time lets look at some real attractiveness….stunning….and they may even be a bit gauche, or catty, or need a bit of cultivating…just like you and I!
Jane
Liz
Katherine
Lucille
Audrey
Grace
Doris
and finally, Maralyn
