Happy New Woman!

RING out the old. . . .

And, ringing out the old year, ring out other things too—things like figure bulges; a cosmetic palette that no longer harmonizes with or flatters your skin tones, eyes or hair; sagging hemlines and uneven heels; any and all carelessness that imperceptibly may have crept into your appearance and personality.

For the beginning of the year 1947 I offer you twelve resolutions. They commit you to nothing difficult or costly. Yet they’re magical. For they help you find that woman within you at whom other women will turn to look admiringly, to whom men will be drawn in the most ego-warming fashion.

Four Hollywood stars are the inspirations for these resolutions: Paulette Goddard, Lizabeth Scott, Linda Darnell and Beverly Tyler. For each of these girls, in turn, I find an outstanding example of the four components of a woman’s beauty and charm.

Paulette, first of all, is vivid proof that a woman accentuates her attraction by alertness. She is alert to everything from appointments at which she arrives promptly, to business trends by which she has greatly increased her fortune.

Particularly alert to her shortcomings, Paulette has never stopped trying to improve herself. When the nation began to grow Latin-America conscious she began to study Spanish. Her speaking voice grows lovelier all the time. It has an increasingly “alive” lilt to it that makes her provocative.

And now for the first four resolutions, all of them Goddard-inspired.

1. I will get enough sleep to maintain my best temper.

2. I’ll do toning up exercises every day, aware if I am to be mentally and spiritually alert I must be physically alert also.

3. I’ll carry myself well. I’ll keep my shoulders back, chest out, stomach in, head high—in the posture of poise. I will guard against a lazy slump which is ugly.

4. I’ll be aware, realizing that a woman who does not know what goes on in the world can not hope to be attractive or good company, especially for men.

A few words now about my second Hollywood dream girl, Lizabeth Scott. “Streamlined Scott,” they call her. For during her years as a New York model she learned the secret of grooming is to have “an uncluttered look.”

Lizabeth, who wears tailored lines in evening clothes, suits, dresses and even nightgowns, under-dresses instead of overdresses. She doesn’t go for extreme broad shoulders because she has broad shoulders of her own. She wears wide belts to accentuate her waistline. She frames her face with plain necklines, for she knows the value of her beautiful golden hair.

“It is the fit and spruceness of a suit or dress or coat that’s important,” she says. “The time and money spent first on fitting, pressing, mending and cleaning cannot fail to be time and money well spent.”

Which brings me to resolutions five through nine; namely:

5. My closet will be a showcase for my clothes, with a hanger for every garment and boxes for my hats. To this end, I will discard those things I should not wear.

6. I’ll keep my clothes brushed, cleaned and repaired. However slim I may be when I wear a straight skirt I’ll wear a girdle so my skirt will not look bagged out, and sat upon. I’ll brush my suits before and after each wearing. I’ll keep my blouses fresh and well ironed. My shoes, too, I’ll keep in a good state of repair at all times, brushing suede shoes before each wearing, using shoe trees always.

7. I’ll be careful in the choice of my shoulder line, waistline, hemline and the length of my jackets. I’ll choose a shoulder line broader than my hips to balance my figure. I’ll insist the length of my suit jackets balances my figure. For a jacket that is too long will cut the height of a medium-sized girl and a jacket that is too short will give her a lanky look. When it comes to my hemline I’ll see that my slips are the right length, that they neither show below my skirt nor leave a show-through area when a dress is sheer.

8. I’ll get myself an attractive, mood-brightening rainy-weather outfit so that I need never hide under my umbrella.

9. I’ll endeavor to be meticulous about my conduct, too. I will be thoughtful, remember appointments, be punctual, keep a record of dates so I do not fail to send my friends cards or notes upon their important occasions.

Linda Darnell comes next. Linda today is considered one of Hollywood’s greatest beauties. She learned to use cosmetics to enhance her natural beauty, but above all, she takes care of her skin. Every night, before washing her face with soap and water, she applies a cleansing cream. She uses cool water to rinse off the soap and then dabs her face with a mild astringent. A nourishing cream comes next for a lubricant. Linda doesn’t leave this cream on all night, wiping it off before retiring.

She likes to experiment with cosmetic colors. However, she never veers very far from those shades which fit into her creamy skin tones. She sets the pace of her face coloring with her lipstick—a good idea, incidentally—which is a clear dark pepper red. Purple shades she doesn’t wear—unless her costume calls for a faint blue tone. Orange tones she doesn’t wear at all.

“I never patch my make-up,” she says. “I do a complete change of make-up twice a day and again in the evening.”

Our greatest beauty, as Linda proves, is achieved only by an infinite capacity for taking pains.

So increase your loveliness—resolve further:

10. I will apply cosmetics strategically and sparingly—and thus enhance my good points rather than disguise them. When I wear bright colors I’ll choose a bright, clear red lipstick. With pastels and pink and blue tones I’ll use a light lipstick with a pinkish cast. I’ll keep to the natural line of my mouth, aware my own expression contributes largely to the one thing I have that nobody else has—my individuality.

Last of all comes Beverly Tyler. If you have any doubt about the beauty value of extreme personal cleanliness consider Beverly. She is as lovely as she is because she is an extremist about cleanliness. She scrubs her face, neck, hands and arms with a complexion brush. For a rinse she uses cold water. Twice a day she takes a brisk shower, first to awaken her skin in the morning and then to relax and cleanse her pores of dust at night.

So her toothbrush will be antiseptic, Beverly keeps it in dry salt and soda when it isn’t in use. She carries small pads of antiseptic gauze in her purse to polish her teeth to brightness.

“The instant I take off a dress or suit, I hang it before an open window and brush it, especially at the neck and shoulders where dust and stray hairs are likely to collect,” she says. “Fresh air and dampness are good cleansing agents. So is sun.”

To clean her dark gloves, which, of course, collect the same amount of dirt that white gloves collect, Beverly rubs them with a cold damp cloth after each wearing. Then she brushes them briskly.

Cleanliness, as one look at Beverly proves, is indeed akin to beauty. So are the resolutions which she influenced:

11. I’ll remember that the most important aspect of a woman’s charm is her freshness and cleanliness. I never will be without a deodorant and toilet water, and my daily bath will be a beauty treatment as I relax completely in a scented tub.

12. My hands will receive beauty treatments beyond the scope of regular manicures. I’ll cream them. And to protect them while doing small chores about the house, I’ll keep a bottle of lotion on my kitchen shelf. My hair I’ll brush regularly. And following shampoos I’ll rinse my hair carefully so it will be free from soaps. To soften my hair I’ll add a final rinse of lemon or diluted vinegar.

Ring out the old, ring in the new—the new year, the new woman you can be, and the new life you can know.

Happy New Woman!

 

It is a quote. PHOTOPLAY MAGAZINE JANUARY 1947