(p. 80) Young women really loved the bobbed hairstyle. One fashion magazine predicted that the bobbed hairstyle would not last very long, but it did and they were forced to show more bobbed hairstyles in their magazine. The cosmetic industry made lots of money as well because of all of the products they were pushing to women. By 1929, some 2,500 different perfume brands were created along with 1,500 face creams. (p. 80).
I know how we always want the next new makeup or hair product that’s going to make s look like the model in the commercial. Women can’t just run to the store in sweat pants because they value their appurtenance too much. Women don’t feel as confident when they don’t look nice, but men don’t really care either way. In the reading, “Do thin Models Warp Girls Body Image?” I agree with Nancy when she says thin models on the runway or on TV can cause very young girls to become anorexic or bulimic. Nancy says, “Girls are being bombarded with the message that they need to be super-skinny to be sexy.” (Hellmich 706) I believe that is very true when she says that but what young girls don’t realize is that you could be beautiful and sexy with any body type that you might have.
“Working-class women, as much as their more wealthy counterparts, wound these commodities into their own culture based in display, self-statement, and glamour.” (Enstad, 18) Working women purchased cheap fiction known as dime novels. Women would often save up for weeks just to be able to purchase one book. Another common purchase of the working class woman was clothing. Similar to the novels, women would save up by skimping on their lunches to buy a dress from what the middle class called “slop” dress makers. These dresses were cheaper imitations of middle class fashion and would often fall apart, but the women bought them regardless.
In the stories “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin and “A Wagner Matinee” by Willa Cather, the main characters go through life experiences that completely change the way they perceive themselves and the world around them. The main character in “A Pair of Silk Stockings” is a lady named Mrs. Sommers who became the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars. Originally she had no intention of spending the money on herself until she was lured into buying the luxurious silk stockings. Mrs. Sommers indulged herself the rest of the day which really boosted her self confidence. The main character in “A Wagner Matinee” is a lady called Aunt Georgiana who used to be a young, music teacher.
I believe the author’s point of this story was to make the readers value their culture and traditions of their family and to understand how meaningful it is. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to the older sister, Dee. "Dress down to the ground, in the hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes… Earrings gold, two, and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling and making noises when she moves her arm… The dress is loose and flows, and as she walks closure, I like it.
One woman could put on a dress only with someone’s help as this was rather difficult. At that time it was very stylish to wear a variety of colors and fabrics for stockings and dresses. Dresses and underwear were cut to show off the woman’s figure in a demure way. The underwear had whale-bones or flexible steel in order to make them close-fitting. [...] The bustle of the 1870s and 1880s replaced the large hoopskirts of the 1850 - 60s.
She would daydream of fancy dinners, shinning silverware and delicate furniture. Her desire for wealth is so strong that she can’t even visit her wealthy friend Madame Foresteir without being overwhelmed with jealousy. There was only one time where she was truly happy and that is when she had on a dress that her husband purchased and a diamond necklace that she borrowed from her friend, Mrs. Forestier. Her happiness was short-lived when she and her husband had to spend the next 10 years paying for the necklace that she had lost that night. What use to be a very poise and gentle women had “become the women of impoverished households- strong and hard and rough” (Maupassant 42).
In the book Working Women Don’t Have Wives one daughter went on to state, “My mother wore high fashion, bright colours-often Pucci silks, those splendid garish prints of the 1960s which bespoke fun and daring. She flaunted her appearance, and then criticized men for noticing it. She flirted with men and then complained that they treated women differently from the way they behaved with male colleagues. She complained that her colleagues could never forget that she was a woman, and yet she constantly reminded them that she was. She knew that women who disguised their sexuality were likely to be promoted more readily than she, yet simultaneously she thought her sexuality was a trump card.
I’m still here, caring and looking after her every step of the way. I know this is one of the biggest days of her life, one she has been looking forward to ever since she was young, and one that she will remember for the rest of her life. I can still remember one of our conversations like it was just yesterday, one about her dream wedding. It would be sweet and quiet, nothing too fancy, with white roses and lilies everywhere. She always talked endlessly about what her dress would be like and how she wanted a veil that floated freely down her face that could be pushed back over her head like in the movies.
This needs a certain finesse to achieve; her mind set is very important here. Being in the right mood for a date is a must. For women it begins with doing the things that make her feel beautiful like nice clothes, pretty make up, and prefect hair. A lot of times she will have her best friends around her telling her how great this new guy will be. Letting her know that in no way does her butt look lumpy and that her pimple is not noticeable.