The biggest takeaway I got from reading this article is how societal constructs and gender roles have progressed throughout the last 56 years. Could an expecting mother still utilize a tip from this piece in 2024? Absolutely. However they would have to ignore a lot of the generalizations made about women that were unfortunately commonplace back then.
The article does contain some basic exercise and dieting tips that anyone, not just pregnant women, could incorporate into their lives. It seems as though the purpose of this self-care is more for the benefit of others, rather than the mother and the child she is carrying.
“Your husband and children especially want you to look your prettiest and well-groomed while you all play the waiting game,” the article read.
The story also later suggests a good way to “keep busy” during pregnancy is for women to add more diversity into their cooking menus to satisfy their husbands. As part of a family in which my mother was the “breadwinner” and my father was the cook, the assumptions here are especially hilarious to me. But that is just how things were.
Like I said, the well-intentioned piece did contain some valuable and sourced health information for “ladies in wait” to remain “beautifully wholesome.” I think the biggest thing society has learned is that women do not always have to look conventionally beautiful all the time as if it is some kind of responsibility to everyone else.