What a Woman Should Know (part eight)

A series of excerpts from the booklet What a Woman Should Know by George M Vickers printed in 1904 by the White Sewing Machine Company of Cleveland, Ohio.

Last week in part seven the booklet stated "beauty sleep" is before midnight and a careful diet is important to fair complexion. Today we learn the stature of a perfect woman. Well, I'm sure I'll have a comment on that one next week.

Ok, Ladies, got your measuring tapes?

         Page 9:

Woman's Stature.-Taking the height of the Venetian Venus, the stature of the perfect woman is five feet five inches.

Her Weight.-For a woman five feet five inches, 135 pounds is the proper weight, and if she be well formed she can stand another ten pounds without greatly showing it.

Her Proportion.-When her arms are extended she should measure from the tip of middle finger to the tip of middle finger just five feet five inches, exactly her own height. The length of her hand should be just a tenth of that, and her foot just a seventh.
     The distance from the elbow to the middle finger should be the same as the distance from the elbow to the middle of the chest.
     From the top of the head to the chin should be just the length of the foot, and there should be the same distance between the chin and the armpits.
     A woman of this height should measure twenty-four inches about the waist and thirty-four inches about the bust if measured from under the arms and forty-three if over them.
     The upper arm should measure thriteen inches and the wrist six.
     The calf of the leg should measure fourteen and one-half inches, the thigh twenty-five and the ankle eight inches.

To Develop Muscles.-Moderate exercise, such as walking, tennis, croquet, domestic duties, and the like, never to the point of fatigue, will make wonderful improvement in the shape of the arms and limbs. The stout it makes more symmetrical, and the slender is increased in size and shapeliness. Of course sleep and proper food are important helps.

Next week in part nine we learn How to Dress and what colors are best for The Blonde, The Demi-Blonde, The Pale Brunette and The Decided Brunette.