Betty Cornell's Teen-Age Popularity Guide

[telophase]

...copyright 1951-1960.

p. 19 [filed in the "Meaning Has Changed" stack] (after explaining how to carefully squeeze blackheads, using tissue and never with the bare hands) "Permission to squeeze blackheads, it must be understood, does not carry blanket permission to squeeze everything in sight. Hickies must never be squeezed. Unlike blackheads, hickies contain pus, which, if sufficiently irritated, can erupt in even more monstrous form and cause excessive damage to the skin. to say nothing of leaving ugly scars. Hickies should be treated with great respect." (The next paragraph talks about whiteheads, which, it seems, are not hickies.)

p. 23 "When it comes to shampooing your own hair, plan to save at least one night a week for the job."

p. 42 "'If only she weren't so sloppy.' " [...] Girls whisper about it behind her back. Boys mutter about it in locker rooms."

p. 44 "In the summer also, you may shave the whole length of your whole leg if your hair is exceptionally dark. Otherwise you can shave just to your knee and bleach the rest."

p. 55 "How you look on the street is a question that seldom troubles many of us, yet it is a mighty important one. City officials have been driven to despair by the sight of young ladies traipsing up and down their town in short shorts and bedraggled dungarees. Whether you realize it or not, some so-called 'informal' dress is enough to make adult blood pressure rise to the boiling point. For Heaven's sake, have a little pity on others and a lot of pride in yourself: put on a skirt when you're shopping."

p. 57, in a list of suggestions for a well-rounded wardrobe, under "Lingerie": "4 pairs of panties - nylon is your best bet"



She also has a book titled All About Boys, which we have upstairs. Shall I go get it?

Comments

[torachan]

Shall I go get it?

LOL You have to ask? XD

[telophase]

I have it, and shall be posting from it later on this week. I also have a 1936 book titled Co-Ediquette and a 1960 edition of Young Teens Away From Home in which someone has written, on the post-it note that the library used to use to stamp due dates on, "STUPID STUPID BOOK!!" Which, I feel, bodes well.

[thistleingrey]

Nylon panties, ugh.

When I wore shorts as a teen, I did shave only to the knee, needing neither to shave above it nor to bleach, but I doubt Ms. Cornell meant to address anyone with my genetic inheritance.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

...I do not think that city officials have ever figured largely in the minds of most teenage girls, even in 1951.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that locker-room conversation revolves around sloppy dress, either.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Shall I go get it?

YES.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I have it. Also a book from 1936 entitled Co-Ediquette, and one from 1966 titled Young Teens Away from Home in which someone has written, on the Post-It note that the school used to use to stamp due dates on, "STUPID STUPID BOOK!!," which, I feel, bodes well.

[riofriotex.livejournal.com]

You should submit these to Awful Library Books (http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/). Today's post coordinates really well with your books!

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

You MUST post from All About Boys so I may torment my almost 13 yo son with the details!!!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I shall endeavor to do so during this week!

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

Excellent! XD

[elfiepike.livejournal.com]

p. 23 "When it comes to shampooing your own hair, plan to save at least one night a week for the job."

as opposed to... shampooing someone else's hair?

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

I assumed it was as opposed to having it washed and set at the salon.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

I assumed it was as opposed to having it done at the salon (or I guess "beauty parlor" in 1951). But for all I know teenage girls in the 1950s spent hours shampooing each others' hair.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

You should TOTALLY go get "All About Boys".

I thought the shampooing quote was very interesting too- big change from today, since I think most teenagers would think it's pretty gross to only wash your hair once a week.

Also, the quote about city officials being offended by what one wears while shopping- HILARIOUS.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I grabbed an etiquette textbook that was near All About Boys, and *it* says that you might need to wash your hair as often as every week, while other girls can merely wash it every ten or twelve days!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hee. The thing is, it's pretty true (though it depends on what kind of hair you have). If you take a shower or otherwise rinse your hair daily or almost daily, you do not actually need to use shampoo very often. But it is sooooooo not part of our modern cultural standards of hygiene.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I know! I used to only wash my hair about twice a week back in highschool when I had it permed, and now I tend to use conditioner only 2-3 times a week and shampoo once or twice, but once a week still seems weird. XD (And you can get away with less washing if it'd dry, like mine is.)

The book does have you brush your hair at least 100 times daily which gets rid of a lot of the daily grime, if the ends are healthy enough to stand it.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

Unlike blackheads, hickies contain pus

What the hell kind of hickies are they talking about then?!

Ah yes, how often I have heard a sloppy girl criticized amongst young men talking to one another! If only she weren't so sloppy, indeed! Don't you know that cleanliness and neatness is of utmost importance to teenage boys?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

All I can think of is that "hickies" must have used to refer to those zits that remain painful red bumps. But it was a case of mental whiplash for sure!

[pseudo_tsuga.livejournal.com]

I love all these old-fashioned advice books.