WOMENS WORLD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 68, 23 March 1949, Page 3

WOMENS WORLD

EVERY YEAR THE HOUSEWIVES WASH ACRES OF DISHES

Statistics show that in one year the average housewife washes an acre of dishes, scrubs three miles of floor, and hangs out three miles of clothes. In the course of getting dinner she takes 3991 steps, which add up to a mile and a half.

The question is, does it all make for a slim, trim figure? Physical culture experts claim that in such a day the feet and legs get quite a workout; the forearms come into constant play, and there is a deal of back-bending; but, generally speaking, the same small muscles are used over and over again, and the housewife does not effectively exercise the muscles that keep her slim in the middle. Posture Important

They stress the importance of posture watching while at work, as an energy saver, and also because it is a very good exercise in itself. Keep the back straight while going about housework; when dusting and picking up. objects from the floor, hold- the back straight and bend at hips and knees, they advise. That keeps the joints supple, because it encourages a lithe walk. They recommend making housework as easy as possible; sit down to prepare the vegetables, sit on a high stool "to iron and to wash and dry the dishes, because sitting takes less energy than standing. Use all the labour-saving gadgets possible. Try to arrange the kitchen so that it requires the fewest possible steps; there is no beauty to be gained in too much trotting about a kitchen.

Take Care Of Your Eyes: They Are Important

More than any other feature of feminine beauty, the eyes are selfrevealing. For this reason every woman should make the most of her eyes, says the Better Vision Institute in the “San Francisco Chronicle.”

For eyes right and eyes bright, suse an eye cream every night. A good eye cream will keep the skin around the eyes smooth and satiny —doing its work while you sleep. Spread the cream gently around the eyes and tap lightly underneath the eyes corner inward towards the nose. Close the eyes and pat gently over the eyelids. Artfully darkened lashes will bring out a more brilliant eye colour. More important, however,, is the new fashion hint calling for coordinating mascara colours with costumes. One firm, which now has a range of 11 co-ordinated shades of eye make-up, suggests matching mascara and eye shadow to the costume.

Oblique Exercises Will Give You That Tiny Waist

•A girl with an 18-inch waist, a Greek nose and a blush that worked on a full 24-hour shift without overtime, was the ideal of men’s dreams. Brit now the 18-inch waist is back again. And* with its advent, come some monstrous problems, for the standard of the 1949 waistline runs about 26 to 28 inches. So what is a poor girl to do? There are corselets on the market but !

“Perish the thought” says the film star Jeanne Crain. “There is an easier way than that to acquire a tiny waist —oblique exercises.” Post-war girls probably find things hard, one way or another, so this present “fad” for tiny waists and long full skirts is no departure from the format. Off stage, Jeanne Crain sponsors the tiny waist and longer skirts; so does Olivia de Havilland who has just bought one of Christian Dior’s extreme modes for evening. Both girls say the tiny waist isn’t a matter of diet alone. It’s developed by exercises which gradually build up a corselet of muscle. This really doesn’t take long, since these are muscles that have long been neglected. So a stiff upper lip and five minutes night and morning will whittle the waist down in no time, says Miss Crain. First, the “round-about.” Stand erect, knees stiff, feet a little apart, chin up. P’ace the hands on

♦lie hips and rotate the body slo’wly ten times from left to right, leaning as far to the sides as possible. Reverse, and do ten times from right to left, or counter-clock-wise. This twists the fat away from the waistline.

Then here is the oblique twist. Lie fiat on the floor. Raise the up per part of' the body and one leg at the same time. Swerve sideways until you touch the elbow to the opposite knee. Repeat, using the other leg and elbow. Don’t go at this one too fast—do it slowly, say two or three times each on the first day. But after a week, you’ll find the front of your skirt sliding around to the back—a sure indication that you’re getting into that tiny waist class.

This Week's Recipe

■ TINNED FISH MOULD: 1 tin salmon or suitable tinned fish, Joz gelatine. 3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 hard-boiled egg, pepper. Decorate a basin with slices of hard-boiled egg and chop the rest of the egg. Dissolve the gelatine in the warm water. Mash the fish and then mix all the ingredients well together. Season well, and pour into the basin. Stand in a cool place until set. Pack the mould with lettuce and tomatoes to garnish. Turn out and cut in sections and serve on lettuce leaves.