WHEN I READ SISTER ANASTASIA’S “Tips for Single Ladies (c. 1938)” today, all could hear in my head was the lyric to some long-ago song: “You must walk feminine/Talk feminine/Smile and beguile feminine/Utilize your femininity/That’s what every girl should know/if she wants to catch a beau.” Turns out it’s a 1963 Hayley Mills relic. When I sang it for the TSP women, they all got real silent. Can’t understand it. Hasn’t every woman watched every single Hayley Mills movie and memorized every song? I know I have.
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No surprise, really, that sisterhood, often life’s longest relationship and always one of its most important, has been the Muse for so much creative self-expression by women, and also by men. 
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Oh my goodness, Hayley Mills. I loved all her movies, especially The Parent Trap. On the topic of how to catch a man, I remember one Christmas, when I was about 14 (@1982), I asked for and got a book on etiquette. Vogue’s Book of Etiquette. I was ecstatic. I flipped through the chapters as we all sat around the Christmas tree that morning. Then, I made one fatal mistake. I read aloud the chapter title that had caught my eye: “How to Make a Bed with a Man In It.” My mother gasped in horror and snatched the book out of my on-the-cusp-of-womanhood hands, nipping my curiosity in the bud. I never saw that book again. I’m sure had I kept my mouth shut I would have learned a lot about “getting” a guy!
Hi, Amylou. Oh, that’s marvelous, that fatal mistake. That old devil Vogue. That’s hilarious. And if you think you can handle it now, I found one for you, here.”How to Make a Bed With a Man In It,” is as good a chapter title as I’ve read in years. Lovely. Thanks so much. And do come back soon for more.
When I was a teenager (the ’70’s), I got my hands on a book called “How to Get a Teenage Boy – and What to Do With Him After You’ve Got Him” which was full of great advice, not unlike Haley Mills’ words of wisdom above.
In addition, for instance, never be the sexiest girl at a party – be the second sexiest girl. You still look desirable – and pure (comparatively). Research your future boyfriend’s likes and dislikes. Jimi Hendrix? TM? Art? Become an expert, but only so you can ask *him* intelligent questions that you know he can answer. Set him up to look smart or witty.
The real lesson was the insinuation that males are easily manipulated with fragile egos, which, while it may seem true at times, is a terrible tool to give girls!
Hiya, CatSea: Oh, that’s rich. I’ll go bone up. HA! Oh, yeah, that is a terrible insinuation. Oh, man, the damage we do to young minds, yes? I love the title of that book. Just marvelous. Thanks for bringing it here. Please come back for more.
The film “Summer Magic” also featured Burl Ives (singing “The Ugly Bug Ball”) and Peter Brown also had a part. Loved it especially the clothes and the scene playing croquet.
Oh, yeah. Summer Magic. I loved that movie too. So funny. I think I feel a film festival coming up. Have you seen our sister flicks list? If not, it’s here. Enjoy. And do come back soon.