How To Be A Woman According To Magazines Published In the 1960s

German countess and fashion model Veruschka reads a Fatos Magazine with her face on the cover, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 1967. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — Hulton Archive/GettyImages

Magazines have been around for many years now. But hidden behind the dusty pages of 1960s issues of Vogue, Cosmo, Elle, and the like, you will find shocking information and advice. Once you’ve learned the details of what ladies were told back then, you’re probably going to want to give your grandma and any women you know who lived through the '60s a big hug.

Being Married is the Highest Attainment for a Woman

In the January 1957 issue of Ladies' Home Journal, a writer tackled a topic about teenage marriage. It had a little quiz that, once answered, would lead to an ultimate answer on whether a girl was fit for marriage or not. Overall, it suggested that women should avoid blind dates and go to church every Sunday if they wanted to have a successful marriage.

Douches Were Everywhere

Douche table, Thavies Inn Hospital, London, 1930. Within the venereal disease centre for pregnant women. Artist: unknown. (Photo by City of London: London Metropolitan Archives/Heritage Images/Getty Images) — Heritage Images/GettyImages

Every woman from the '60s probably knows far too much about douches. We know that for a fact because douching regularly appears in 1960’s magazine spreads, from Cosmo and Seventeen to Ladies' Home Journal. Either the publishers were obsessed, or they couldn't ignore the cash brought in by advertising. Today, doctors advise against douching as it may cause bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and even uterine or ovarian infections.

Know Your Smoking Areas

“I Try To Behave Myself” was an etiquette guide for “liberated” young ladies, published in the 1960s by author Peg Bracken. It became so widespread that magazines like Ladies' Home Journal used it as a reference in one of their articles published in the January 1964 issue. It forbade women from smoking whenever and wherever they wanted because it would seem improper to other people. It also advised them to always carry their own pack because husband's don't like it when wives keep bumming cigarettes.

Man Coddling is the Secret

Cosmopolitan Magazine cover. March 1939 issue. Girl with blonde hair and Hawaiian flower lei - illustration for story inside the magazine. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images) — Culture Club/GettyImages

A rather outrageous article on “38 Ways To Coddle a Man” from Cosmopolitan, published in August of 1965, contained some truly horrendous sentences. We enumerated the most cringy ones:

1. "Just once—don't wake him in the middle of the night to say you're feeling lonely and insecure. If he has a tough day ahead, he may need the sleep."

2. "Give him your full, rapt, before-marriage attention when he's telling you what happened at the office."

3. "His idea of Nirvana is a vigorous backrub... Instead of investing time with the PTA, take a course in Swedish massage."

Women Gave Each Other Terrible Employment Advice

Caroline Bird wrote an article that contained some of the most sexists phrases ever to grace the printed page. What's unbelievable is that they came from a woman. Entitled “How to Get a Man's Pay,” the article had advice like:

1. “The childishly simple truth (not yet recognized by many women) is this: the way to earn a man's salary is to get a man's job.”

2. "Can You Keep Going Without a Daily Dose of Praise?"

3. "Can You Manipulate Circumstances to Your Advantage?"

Remember Ladies: It's Always Your Fault

Cover of The Ladies Home Journal, March 1900. A party of golfers on a snowy winter — Heritage Images/GettyImages

A recurring feature found in Ladies' Home Journal was “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” Written by a male therapist, William Zehv, the woes of the average couple were dissected. Zehv would then issue his diagnosis, and explain how the problem was resolved. He would always favor the man and require the women to bend over backwards. One of the most unbelievable prescriptions he gave to a possibly cheating man was to put aside the wife’s desire for a divorce and instruct that they instead “have more sex.”