The Mentality of the Criminal Woman

Read it here.



The majority of the book consists of dry statistical tables and charts of the tests given to the subjects.



But in the latter third of the study, conclusions begin to be drawn.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 13, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Science, Studies, Reports, White Papers, Investigations, 1910s, Women

What Demoralized the Barber Shop

Trollops disconcert some gentlemen. It's amazing the customer in the chair did not have his throat cut.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 28, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Public Indecency, Women, Nineteenth Century, Hair and Hairstyling

The Blonde Brigade

Apr 1938: Actress Jean Colwell came up with a sure-fire way to end all wars. Her idea was that if a group of beautiful, blonde women stood in between the two opposing armies, in the "no man's land," then the soldiers on each side would refuse to attack because "No soldier will shoot at a good-looking blonde." Peace would be achieved!

To make her vision a reality, Colwell placed an ad in a New York newspaper:


The response was enthusiastic, and within a month she had enough volunteers to form a "blonde brigade," all wiling to risk their lives for peace.

Wisconsin State Journal - Mar 29, 1938

Los Angeles Times - Apr 27, 1938

Owensboro Messenger - Apr 2, 1938

Women of other hair colors didn't want to be left out. So there was soon also a "red-headed regiment" and a "brunette battalion."

San Bernardino County Sun - Apr 30, 1938

Of course, none of these women were ever shipped to the front line to serve as a human shield. Colwell herself spent the war in Forth Worth, Texas performing in plays. After the war she moved to Japan as a civil service worker. When she died in 1986, she was back in Fort Worth. I haven't found any info on what she did between 1946 and 1986.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 14, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: War, 1930s, Women, Hair and Hairstyling

Follies of the Madmen #517

Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 12, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Tobacco and Smoking, Women

Artificial Girls of 1940

Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 28, 2021 - Comments (2)
Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Puppets and Automatons, 1940s, Women

“in the Gay Nightlife of Rome, Trouser Parties Are Setting the Pace”

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 06, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Fashion, 1960s, Women, United Kingdom

Follies of the Madmen #512

We all know of course that "BO" was a frequently used advertising term for body odor. But I never saw another ad that tried to push "BO-BO" as an insult.



Ad source.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 25, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Hygiene, Advertising, Women

Battle of the Amazons

Maybe the popularity of the WONDER WOMAN films will cause this gem to be reissued.

The IMDB page.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 26, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: History, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1970s, Women

Fire-Breathing Woman

In April 1940, Linda Lancaster Dodge Stratton was granted a patent for the "cigar or cigarette lighter" shown below. Its novel feature was that it was shaped like a fire-breathing woman. Or, as Stratton put it, "in the shape of a human figure artistically posed with the igniting means located in the mouth and ignited and extinguished by the movement of the head to open and close the mouth thereof through the manual movement of the arms toward and from the mouth."

It kinda looks like a fire-breathing Barbie. Though it predates Barbie by almost 20 years.

The patent said this woman was to be "constructed in a pocket or a table size." It would definitely be a conversation piece to have a table-size version of her in your home.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 04, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Smoking and Tobacco, 1940s, Women

Dodge La Femme

1955: Chrysler introduced the Dodge La Femme, a two-door, pink-and-white sedan "for the discriminating modern woman".

source: DodgeLaFemme.com

In an attempt to make the car irresistible to women, Dodge also threw in a pink leather handbag that contained "cigarette lighter and case, compact, lipstick and other feminine items covered in matching pink leather." Plus, "a vinyl raincoat and stylish sou'wester hat, printed in the same pink shade and pattern as the Jacquard upholstery." And a matching pink umbrella!

But even with all this, the car failed to appeal to consumers. However, because fewer than 2500 of them were ever made, the car is now sought after by collectors.

More info: wikipedia

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Apr 10, 1955

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 03, 2021 - Comments (3)
Category: Gender, Women, 1950s, Cars