Frankly Feminine... Wedding advice for the 1970's bride

[ShadowsCollideWithPeople]

My Mum was given this book by her own mother in the run up to her wedding. She passed it on to my sister when she got engaged (just to be clear, in a very jokey, ironic way), who passed it on to me when I got engaged (again, in a very piss-takey way). It has wonderful chapter titles such as 'Reason and Rouge', 'Superfluous Hair', 'Tanning without Tears', 'Caring for your Fur' and 'Eating Difficult Food'. Oh, and also '£.s.d. of a Wedding'. Anyone dying to know how to be the perfect bride?

Me me!

Now Num, would you like to know how best to care for your furs, or the 'secrets of sex appeal'? Or perhaps about 'women and the law' or 'keeping your looks' during pregnancy? . It's hilarious. Mind you, the section on applying eyeliner is actually pretty awesome.

I want the eyeliner tips please

I'll go with eyeliner. I've had the children, so that ship has sailed!

More info on caring for your fur please. I found that remarkably tricky when I was pregnant.

I've got a pregnancy-and-childbirth book from the early 60s. It was my mum's and she passed it on to me ages ago (long before I had DS) as I find vintage health/relationship/sex books a bit fascinating.

Okay, Tethersend, and I quote... Tricks for the eyes... If you prefer liquid eyeliner to the creamy or stick sort, use it after powdering. Dip a blunt-tipped brush into the colour, and, holding the eyelid taut at the outer corner, paint on delicate wings of colour along each lid, letting the shape slant upwards prettily at the eye corners (okay, I am snorting a bit at letting it slant 'prettily'). The width of the 'wings' and the extent to which you carry the colour beyond the corners of the eyes depend on the shape of your eyes.

To draw dark lines along the eyelashes, hold the eyelid taut and trace a line as close to the lashes as possible, using a soft eye crayon. Lines can be drawn along both upper and lower lashes if you wish, the lines meeting at the outer corners of the eyes and continuing into little outward flicks. The effect is sophisticated, so experiment carefully.

Perhaps that is all really obvious, but I have always been crap with eyeliner so am just delighted with my new technique . Also, Tethers, I just typed all that out, so you defo owe me some

Num, there you go, eyeliner tips for you, too. gallic, ha, of course, caring for ones fur must be at the forefront of every pregnant woman's mind .

Solid, it is bizarre but intriguing. Some of the chapters are entitled 'at an hotel', 'writing letters', 'going for an interview' and 'how to make a pretty speech'. I just can't imagine stressing over these things (also, a 'pretty speech'. What? Much of it seems to focus on being 'pretty'), never mind feeling the need to swot up on them prior to getting married. I have certainly never fretted about whether whatever I am doing is 'pretty' enough.

Looking at the dates in the front of this, the edition I have was published in 1973, but the first edition was published in 1965, so probably quite similar to the book you have.

On the off chance actually, Solid, do you know of a set of books (encyclopaedia-like) based around child-rearing? Bound in beige, I think? My friend's parents had a set of them years ago, and one of the volumes was as about childhood illnesses, complete with lots of photos with rashes, that I was utterly fascinated with as a child. Would love to get my hands on a set of them!