December 25, 2013

"In the spectacular Christmas 1956 issue of Life, devoted in full to the 'new' American woman..."

"...  we see, not as women’s-magazine villain, but as documentary fact, the typical 'career woman — that fatal error that feminism propagated' — seeking 'help' from a psychiatrist."
She is bright, well-educated, ambitious, attractive; she makes about the same money as her husband; but she is pictured here as “frustrated,” so “masculinized” by her career that her castrated, impotent, passive husband is indifferent to her sexually. He refuses to take responsibility and drowns his destroyed masculinity in alcoholism.
From Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique," found this morning as I search my Kindle collection of books for the word "Christmas."

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I Believe "a Typical Career Woman" Can Still Make a Good Christmas Breakfast for Her Husband.

Anonymous said...

The Perfect Perfume to get the Feminists in Your Family Christmas Gatherings:

I can put the wash on the line, feed the kids, get dressed, pass out the kisses and get to work by 5 to 9.
'Cause I'm a Woman, Enjoli!

(Announcer): Charles of The Ritz Creates Enjoli. The New 8 Hour Perfume for The 24 Hour Woman.

I can bring home the Bacon!
Chorus: Enjoli.
Fry it up in a Pan!
Chorus: Enjoli.
And Never, Never, Never let you forget You're a Man!
'Cause I'm a Woman!
Chorus: Enjoli!

Wince said...

In the spectacular Christmas 1956 issue of Life, devoted in full to the 'new' American woman...

Most young males at the time heralded the arrival of the spectacular issue of National Geographic with the topless Polynesian women.

Carol said...

all the same, there were some nasty critiques of American housewives at that time...fat, lazy, stupid, childish, frigid etc. Think of Lolita's mom. We were all shelley winters0in waiting.

john said...

Betty Freidan, projecting.

john said...

The fight of the century that never happened: WWF no-holds barred match between Betty Friedan and Pancho Barnes.

Florence would have demonstrated what a real feminist could accomplish in about 30 seconds.

Ipso Fatso said...

I would be an alcoholic too, if I were married to Betty Friedan.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

Feminism was a shame-based movement to bring women out of the kitchen to engage in taxable activities, and perhaps as an implicit way to execute population control. Were these motives discussed during the protests? It's kind of strange, because despite the popular rhetoric, women were always engaged in private and public enterprises. Perhaps not uniformly, but it did happen, and more often than would comfortably support the prevailing feminist narrative.