Oh, Sexism

Some of my favorite things to look for while at resale stores are vintage books. So far this summer I've had some great finds!
The Total Woman (1973)
          This gem was originally used in a "Total Woman" class that taught you how to make a great marriage by acting like a slave for your husband.  The resounding mantra is just be cheery while your husband takes control of every decision in the house.
           Marabel Morgan starts off with remembering the beach at night while her boyfriend's voice puts her to sleep with what he wants in a wife. He shakes her awake with a proposal and this is seriously how their engagement begins.  After a few years of marriage they settle into her husband coming home angry with silent dinners culminating into fight where he orders, " from now on when I plan for us to go somewhere, I will tell you twenty minutes ahead of time. You'll have time to get ready, and we'll do without this arguing". Only after this transition does her husband finally start to tell her he loves her and give her gifts.  The message is simple, remove your brain, do everything your husband wants and maybe then he will just show up with presents that exist in your secret desires.  Only then are you a "Total Woman".
           I won't argue with the books encouragement to think about your strengths, weaknesses, goals and plans for the future.  But all of the self reflection doesn't amount to much with the justification of men being higher then women with sexist quote from the bible.  Heaven forbid if women are in charge, "the family is turned upside-own".  Not only is this insulting to women, it is insulting to men. Are they that fragile they must always be in charge or the world crumbles?  Supporting your husband's ego seems like a daily laborious task.  Instead of complimenting your lover out of desperation, why can't it be sincere?
         Sex is viewed as simply a task, a duty to fulfill, instead of the mutual enjoyable experience. A wife is only holding up her end of the bargain because "If you are stingy in bed, he'll be stingy with you."  The idea making a sexy outfit out of saran wrap for a little fun sparks my interest though. Serious preparation is taken to plan for sex once a day and "think about his body, not Sunday's dinner menu", because planning meals is all that could ever be on a woman's mind! 
            The worst of all this Marabel Morgan was named one of the most influential women in America by People magazine and the 1975 World Almanac as part of the opposition of the woman's movement. I can breathe a sigh of relief after reading this and know that I'm in a mutual relationship where I am pampered and not the mindless slave this anti-feminist woman wants me to be.
        
Great Quotes
"The first look tells him your nerves are shot, his dinner is probably shot, and you'd both like to shoot the kids. It's a bad scene, Is it any wonder so many men come home late, if at all?"
"Its easier to resolve a conflict when my husband's blood sugar is high"
[On child rearing] "When a close friend spanked his three year old for hitting the baby, he did it in a loving way"