WOMAN’S WORLD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5462, 16 August 1929, Page 1

WOMAN’S WORLD.

ROUNDED ARMS. HOW TO ACQUIRE THEM. Not every woman can aspire to perfection in the matter of arms ; but every woman who laments a pair of “bony” members can improve on unkind Nature with a little consistent care. Scraggy arms look rather dread - fully ridiculous when a sleeveless or almost sleeveless gown exposes them relentlessly. They seem to be so painfully conspicuous ! What to do with their arms is a problem to quite a number’ of women. Grace in movement and in repose, as well as improvement of actual contours, is resultant on the regular performance of simple arm exercises—daily. For very thin arms it is always of great benefit to use a pair of light dumb-bells when exercising. They aid and abet the arm-stretching process that has definite beautifying value. When you wake in the morning. stretch your arms. You may stretch them slowly and lazily, but vou must stretch them thoroughly. Massage is likewise of vital importance. And olive oil is indubitably the best massaging agent, though I have known a good nourishing face cream (milk and almond) to give good results. Whichever you elect to use, be sure to rub it well in.

As often as not, exaggeratedly red arms are due to bad circulation troubles, and here a good tonic is indicated. Arm massage is not such a pernicketty business as face massage. You need not be afraid of working lines and wrinkles in instead of out. as may happen in the case of amateur onslaughts on facial blemishes. You can massage your arms as thoroughly as you like, with no attendant fear of stretching and sagging the skin. Get to grips with your arm muscles, so to speak. Press them and knead them, and then soothe their hurt feelings with a gentle rubbing. Improvement sets in after a very short interval if the exercises and massage treatment are faithfully accomplished each day.

Elbows often mar otherwise quite “passable” arms. If they are red and wrinkled looking, massage with a good nourishing cream will be found very beneficial. Massage with a circular movement, and avoid resting your elbows on the table or on any hard surface.

The best and safest way to deal with a conspicuous growth of heavy down on the arms is to paint the hair daily with peroxide of hydrogen until it is practically invisible. And, of course, olive oil is “off” in such circumstances, since it would encourage the growth. In its place must be substituted a milk and almond cure for the “bony” condition.

GRACEFUL MOVEMENT. ONE OR TWO SECRETS. Do you walk well or do you stalk along anyhow ? There is a great deal in the Scottish proverb of “seeing ourselves as others see us !” We cannot see ourselves walk, and maybe some of us would receive a shock could we do so I Generally speaking, women are not such good walkers as the sterner sex. Why this is so I do not know, unless it is because most men are free from mannerisms and alfectedness. In the majority of cases bad walking is just carelessness, and the habit should be corrected. Nothing looks worse than seeing a woman ambling along with shoulders hunched as though she would apologise for being there ! Or, again, how awful a girl looks, wandering along with an airy detached manner, just getting there somehow.

Now, I am confident that if either of them could see themselves they would—after they had recovered from the shock—endeavour to walk differently. How do you walk ? Maybe you have never thought of it before I Legs are instruments of locomotion to carry you about from place to place ; why not move about as gracefully as possible ? In these days, when your lower limbs are in such evidence, well, you must be a good walker. There is nothing else for it. To walk well you must hold up your chin and throw your shoulder back, with your chest expanded and stomach slightly receding ; the weight of the body rests on the hips. Each step taken should be from the hips (not the knee), an easy swinging stride (not too long), and. the toe should touch the ground just before the heel. Don’t march along with “fii’m and martial tread”—leave that to the soldiers ! Always breathe deeply. Of course, in walking, footgear plays an important part. There is, and always will be, controversy concerning heels. High versus low. The point at issue is comfort. If your feet are not comfortable, then you can only hobble along anyhow. Should you not possess a foot suitable for high heel or pointed toes, then do not wear that kind of shoe. Never mind fashion ; wear the type of shoe that suits your foot. You will look infinitely better with low heels and medium toes than if you adorn your feet in a pair of French heeled shoes that make you trudge along as though you were doing penance.