Cathy B. comments on a 1957 article in The Ladies Home Journal entitled, "Why I Like Being a Woman." The article was written by D. C. Norman and was published in the October 1957 issue. In it, Betty talks about her memories of Mother's Day spent on her Carmel, California ranch.
"Betty begins by musing on the fact that women, all too often, disregard their right to vote. She then reminisces on the Mother's Day festivities and cattle roundup that took place at their California ranch in May, 1957. At this time, Betty must have been very sick, and I think it is reflected in her words," Cathy added.
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Excerpt from: “Why I Like Being a Woman”
by Dawn Crowell Norman, Beauty Editor
The Ladies Home Journal, October 1957, pages 72-73+
We asked thirteen outstanding women to express their feeling about the special rewards of womanhood. Straight from their hearts come the answers that will give you a lift – or a laugh!
The woman who is blessed with a good sense of humor—who makes up her mind to live on the sunny side of life despite its stormy intervals—is truly nobly planned. If you can cheerfully shrug off a disappointment, find the funny side of a maddening situation, laugh even when the world doesn’t always laugh with you, chances are this special quality of personality has won you a life full of friends and good times.
“There are so many reasons why I like being a woman I don’t know where to begin,” says BETTY MacDONALD, whose sense of humor brings as much cheer into her own life as it does into her stories. “Of course I could start with the right to vote, but the fact that this is not one of woman’s exclusive franchises is pretty obvious if you have ever been around at election time and heard, ‘Jim, honey, is it Acheson or Dulles we despise?’
“No, I’m thinking in terms of more truly womanly things. For instance, take Mother’s Day when we had a roundup. Was I out in the cool green dawn saddling and currying horses; was I riding over these beautiful hills; was I leaning against the fence drinking Corral de Tierras, and exchanging anecdotes pointing up my bravery, skill with animals and general quick-wittedness? Of course not. I spent the day in that cozy old-fashioned little groove between stove, sink and kitchen table, with occasional sorties to the freezer and garbage cans. And where am I after a dinner party when the door has shut at two A.M. on the last guest? Do I yawn out of my clothes and fall wearily to bed? I should say not. I limp right out to the kitchen where mountains of dirty dishes, a bottle of soy sauce spilled inside the refrigerator, and wilted salad await me. I look forlornly around— and then, almost overcome with my good fortune in having been born a female, I kick off my high heels, wipe my tears on a crumpled napkin marked ‘Having fun with Betty and Don,’ tie on a big apron and put the old coffeepot on to heat!”
Cathy adds that other women interviewed in the article are: Mrs. Norman Vincent Peale; Arlene Dahl Lamas; Lillian Gilbreth; Maureen O’Sullivan Farrow; Margaret Mead; Ethel Merman Six; Mildred McAfee Horton; Rosalind Russell; Gladys Rockmore Davis; Dorothy Thompson; Ivy Baker Priest; and Isak Dinesen.
Thanks to Cathy for the contribution. The entire article is available in many public libraries.
Those of you under 50 might want to research the list of interviewees Cathy added at the end of the article to get a sense of the 1950s. For example, note that Ruth Stafford Peale, who no doubt had a life of her own, goes by her husband's name. The "Emily Post" rules of the time are interesting.
AND here's an even more significant social history question: What is a "Corral de Tierra?" No doubt a drink named after the MacDonalds' California ranch, but what might be the secret formula?
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-FA