Good Housekeeping 1955 article-Good Wife Guide-passed around Court today...LMAO!!!

* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
* Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
* Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
* Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
* During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
* Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
* Be happy to see him.
* Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
* Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
* Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
* Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
* Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
* Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
* Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
* A good wife always knows her place.



How hilarious is this? There was a real article dated May 1955-one of the liasons in court passed this around to all the lawyers and we couldn't stop cracking up-no wonder why we couldn't get any cases done!

Here is the link to the article...I almost peed myself!
1955 Good Wife Guide

I'm glad I wasn't born back then! I especially like, 'His topics of conversation are more important than yours.' How about, 'Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.'

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Posted by milana

i know i read this in one of my sociology classes last year. I still cant believe this was the mindset of our society in the 1950's.

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Tell me about it...and the sad part is that it was true then! I was a history major undergrad and women were traditionally treated as men's servants. Sadly, in many cultures, this is the mindset (for example, I get so sad about the way girls are treated in many third world countries-female circumcisions so they will be good wives, abandoning female babies, and the worst: there are fundamentalist societies that actually stone or execute their own women because the woman was raped! Come on!)

It is just interesting to me, and I would imagine by your post, to you, the huge difference in American society dynamics over the past 50-60 years! Imagine if someone seriously told us to do this nowadays? That would be so disrespectful!

Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.


Umm...w t f? that is the most chauvinistic thing in the article----his topics are more important???? i think not. no one's is 'more important' you are there to speak with each OTHER about your day.

and that one about don't be upset if he's 'home later for dinner or stays out all night' are you effing kidding me??? my husband is allowed to stay out ALLLLLL nite just cause he had a bad work week?

no wonder so many women back there seemed to turn a 'blind eye' to their hubby needing some business trips with their big breasted secretary.

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Posted by MJDoc12

Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.


Umm...w t f? that is the most chauvinistic thing in the article----his topics are more important???? i think not. no one's is 'more important' you are there to speak with each OTHER about your day.

and that one about don't be upset if he's 'home later for dinner or stays out all night' are you effing kidding me??? my husband is allowed to stay out ALLLLLL nite just cause he had a bad work week?

no wonder so many women back there seemed to turn a 'blind eye' to their hubby needing some business trips with their big breasted secretary.

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I bet that is why so many women also stayed in abusive marriages (which in my job, I try to help prevent)-because this was normal! And God forbid they tried to stand up to this behavior...even their families would shun them!

All I have to say is thank God this is 2007!

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Posted by Mich0621

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Posted by milana

i know i read this in one of my sociology classes last year. I still cant believe this was the mindset of our society in the 1950's.

---

Tell me about it...and the sad part is that it was true then! I was a history major undergrad and women were traditionally treated as men's servants. Sadly, in many cultures, this is the mindset (for example, I get so sad about the way girls are treated in many third world countries-female circumcisions so they will be good wives, abandoning female babies, and the worst: there are fundamentalist societies that actually stone or execute their own women because the woman was raped! Come on!)

It is just interesting to me, and I would imagine by your post, to you, the huge difference in American society dynamics over the past 50-60 years! Imagine if someone seriously told us to do this nowadays? That would be so disrespectful!

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oh i totally agree! I think its devastating the way women are depicted and treated in other countries and the things they do to them.The way they have to deal with brutal physical and mental abuse on a daily basis in their life and the reason it is 'allowed' to take place in their society is b/c based on history/cultural/political beliefs they believe this how theyre meant to be treated. Makes me sick.

Im glad that we are shifting from a traditional nuclear society to a more contemporary one here in America. Things have definitly changed and they will keep changing as long as woman know their value in this country.

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Posted by milana

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Posted by Mich0621

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Posted by milana

i know i read this in one of my sociology classes last year. I still cant believe this was the mindset of our society in the 1950's.

---

Tell me about it...and the sad part is that it was true then! I was a history major undergrad and women were traditionally treated as men's servants. Sadly, in many cultures, this is the mindset (for example, I get so sad about the way girls are treated in many third world countries-female circumcisions so they will be good wives, abandoning female babies, and the worst: there are fundamentalist societies that actually stone or execute their own women because the woman was raped! Come on!)

It is just interesting to me, and I would imagine by your post, to you, the huge difference in American society dynamics over the past 50-60 years! Imagine if someone seriously told us to do this nowadays? That would be so disrespectful!

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oh i totally agree! I think its devastating the way women are depicted and treated in other countries and the things they do to them.The way they have to deal with brutal physical and mental abuse on a daily basis in their life and the reason it is 'allowed' to take place in their society is b/c based on history/cultural/political beliefs they believe this how theyre meant to be treated. Makes me sick.

Im glad that we are shifting from a traditional nuclear society to a more contemporary one here in America. Things have definitly changed and they will keep changing as long as woman know their value in this country.

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Totally agree! But we still have a way to go! For example, it disgusts me that even though many men and women receive professional degrees and many women do as well, if not better than men, women still make about 1/3 less than a man! Totally wrong! I especially hate the 'old boys club' in my profession (law)!

Sadly, I feel that there is a great deal of discrimination against women in our society, which needs to be addressed-for example, FH gets patted on the back for getting married, and some old timers look at me strange when I tell them that even though I am getting married, I plan on working full time and establishing my career!

Totally agree! But we still have a way to go! For example, it disgusts me that even though many men and women receive professional degrees and many women do as well, if not better than men, women still make about 1/3 less than a man! Totally wrong! I especially hate the 'old boys club' in my profession (law)!

Sadly, I feel that there is a great deal of discrimination against women in our society, which needs to be addressed-for example, FH gets patted on the back for getting married, and some old timers look at me strange when I tell them that even though I am getting married, I plan on working full time and establishing my career!

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Definitly, we still have a longgggggggg way to go and i hope one day well get there. New studies have shown though that in major cities woman are earning more than men for the same job which i found interesting. But in general yes woman get paid less but this trend seems to be shifting as well. And the whole thing about a woman cant have both, its either a career or a family, needs to be thrown out the window b/c it takes two incomes to support a household in the year 2007!

MIchelle I am laughing my as$ off.
I could not make it past this one:
'Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.'

Now I'm not thinking gay as in merry but rather.... Yeah I know Scott would just LOVE that

Never gonna happen!

This actually isn't a real article - it is a mock up that started in the 80s and was passed around via fax. The intent was to show how different we have come by exaggerating how life was int he 50s.

The image that was first associated with the article is an illustratioon that was made for a 1957 issue of John Bull - two years after this article was supposed to be in Goodhousekeeping.

It's is funny, but it isn't a real article



john bull

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Posted by Nina_m74

This actually isn't a real article - it is a mock up that started in the 80s and was passed around via fax. The intent was to show how different we have come by exaggerating how life was int he 50s.

The image that was first associated with the article is an illustratioon that was made for a 1957 issue of John Bull - two years after this article was supposed to be in Goodhousekeeping.

It's is funny, but it isn't a real article



john bull

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Yeah, I think I heard that it might not have been real...but it still is funny, and WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN MY HOME!!!

I really think that the purpose is to show how far we have come, because even if you watch tv shows from the 1950's, this was their mindset! Even think about I Love Lucy, which is a GREAT show! She had an ALLOWANCE! Come on!

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Posted by kns11

MIchelle I am laughing my as$ off.
I could not make it past this one:
'Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.'

Now I'm not thinking gay as in merry but rather.... Yeah I know Scott would just LOVE that

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Kathy, what guy wouldn't just love if we were 'gay' also, and not in the merry type, but more in the threesome type?

I have to go plan tomorrow's dinner! HA! I can't decide if we will order chinese or pizza -see, I am following rule #1, but according to the Modern Jewish Woman's Cookbook!

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Posted by diva7531







Never gonna happen!

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Ryan, don't you think that we should all make sure to clean the house one last time before our hardworking man comes home?

This had me on the floor! Yet, we all discussed in court how sad life must have been for our grandmothers who actually did live like this! Imagine being told that your day is not as important as FH, because he is a man? It really happened back then!

But trust me, I can guarantee that Jeff wants me to talk about my day before he talks about his own! I have waaaay better stories!

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Posted by Mich0621

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Posted by Nina_m74

This actually isn't a real article - it is a mock up that started in the 80s and was passed around via fax. The intent was to show how different we have come by exaggerating how life was int he 50s.

The image that was first associated with the article is an illustratioon that was made for a 1957 issue of John Bull - two years after this article was supposed to be in Goodhousekeeping.

It's is funny, but it isn't a real article



john bull

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Yeah, I think I heard that it might not have been real...but it still is funny, and WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN MY HOME!!!

I really think that the purpose is to show how far we have come, because even if you watch tv shows from the 1950's, this was their mindset! Even think about I Love Lucy, which is a GREAT show! She had an ALLOWANCE! Come on!

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I actually think these kinds of jokes are a little unfortunate because they give an unfair view of what life was like. I can't say TV is an accurate representation of real life - look at Desperate housewives - how close to real life is that?

I am an officer of a 200+ member charitable quilting guild, the majority of the ladies in the guild were married in the post-war era, some during WWII and some in the 60s and later. I love talking to these women about what life was like when they were younger none have every said that they felt like they were a slave to thier husbands, very few even felt that their marriage was less than 50/50. There is about a 50/50 split between women who worked out of the home and those who stayed home.

I know the group of women I have spoken too are not as diverse a population as would be used in a study, the majority grew up in the same region in NYS but from what I have gathered this is not the mindset back then, this is our perceived idea of what life was like which is perpetuated by these exaggerated 'jokes'

I am very happy for the advances that woman have made and would never accept that I couldn't do something because of my sex.

my how times have changed! I'm all for making him happy and comfortable, giving him a nice environment to come home to, being kind, looking nice and having dinner on the table when he gets home, if I can, but seriously, this is nuts! They were warped back then!!