“THAT DREADFUL SHINGLE.”

Hokitika Guardian, 10 February 1926, Page 4

“THAT DREADFUL SHINGLE.”

A FRANK CRITIC. AUCKLAND, February 8. “ New Zealanders, like Australians are alway very much surprised when I fail to state immediately that their women are the most beautiful in the. world. There are, of course, different types of beauty, and I always prefer those women who try to develop their own faculties. It is a peculiar thing that in all English-speaking countries women try to imitate the men instead of going their own way. The inevitable result is that, they lose their most precious quality, their wojnanliness.” This frank opinion of the girls and woman of New Zealand, with their short hair and their tendency to imitate the men. was given by Mr Hjnlmar Rengtsson, a Swedish journalist who is making a tour of the Dominion. Mr Rengtsson is widely travelled and a linguist of some distinction. “ The English and American women are sportling, like men,” he continued.

“Thefy drink whisky, smoke cigarettes, and cut their hair like men, and think that real freedom consists in imitating especially the bad habits of men. The result is that those women, as compared, for instance, with Latin, Austrian or Russian women, are 50 por cent men.” They could not dress individually, he said. They seemed to think that short skirts suited everybody, and that short hair made them look younger; but short hair, especially thift kind of ‘ dreadful shingle ’ he had seen in Auckland, only made them look foolish. Short hair sometimes suited a very, young, narrow face but never a broad face.” He admitted that he had seen many

beautiful women in Auckland, but to his mind there were too many “jazz girls ” and “ picture house girls ” to make a walk through the streets enjoyable. “ T have enjoyed my trip to New Zealand and I like its people,” said the visitor, “but is it necessary to look so serious? Life is a serious thing, that is true, hut when walking about in Auckland .1 always have a feeling of taking part in a funeral procession. I do not mean to say that you should laugh loudly iu the streets; but you can look serious in ninny different ways, and 1 certainly did not expect more stiffness in New .Zealand than in England.”