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1.
Do you consider yourself complimented when you are
told you "have brains like a man"?
Why
should you? Men have wonderful brains for all kinds of
powerful enterprises, but women are generally conceded
to have a sensitivity and special kind of quickness
all of their own. Even in the animal kingdom.
Remember, the best Seeing Eye dogs are female!
2.
Do you resort to tears as a useful weapon in an
argument?
A
woman's tears have all the weight of tradition behind
them, but a modern woman who can't find a better
method of persuasion admits to highly limited
diplomatic equipment. The honeyed word was ever better
than dripping eyes - and nose. Dreadful destroyers of
beauty! Even at that, a weeping woman is to be
preferred to a shouting or sarcastic one.
3.
Do you expect extra consideration when traveling just
because you are a woman? The services of the only
baggage porter? First chance at the station taxi?
The
chances are that if you are a pleasant-appearing,
nice-mannered sort of person, you will find things
made easier for you automatically. But if you demand
special favors as your right, you may get a thorough
snubbing from an otherwise quite decent male. Do you
really blame him?
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4.
Are you resentful when a man fails to remove his
hat in an elevator, or when you are not offered
a seat in a bus or subway?
These
gallantries are undoubtedly agreeable, but not
always practical. Consider the man in a crowded
elevator; even if by Houdini-like manipulation
of his arms he frees them enough to get his hat
off, where is he going to hold it? Also, we must
admit - however regretfully - that in being
accorded the opportunity of hustling right along
at the male elbow in pursuit of a pay envelope,
we may have forfeited some of the gentler
considerations.
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5.
Do you often use the excuse of "having a
headache" when you wish to get out of an irksome
duty?
Beware
lest you fall into a pit of your own making. By
leaning too heavily on this flimsy excuse, you will
have nothing to offer when an occasion of real
distress arrives, and will get very little sympathy
when you crave it most.
6.
When a man pays you a heavy-handed compliment in
public, do you smile graciously (however bored), scoff
at him lightly, or pin back his ears with a sharp
quip?
The
more foolish you, if you give way to either of the
latter temptations, for no matter how stupid the
offender or how little you care for his particular
opinion, you mark yourself down in the eyes of the
bystanders as a woman of uncertain temper who would
rather be clever than kind. And every mother's son
shies away from a woman with a two-edged tongue.
7.
Do you think quickly on the telephone when pressed to
do, or buy, something which doesn't interest you, so
that you can say "No" without leaving a
sting?
Ah,
there is woman's wit at its best! This must be so,
since most men declare they would rather be shot than
have to extricate themselves from a high-pressure
telephone approach.
8.
Are you tempted to offer to go Dutch on a meal
check when you know your escort has a small
salary?
Don't
do it. Make it up in other ways: with return
entertainment in your home, or with other forms
of hospitality which your woman's ingenuity can
devise. No proud male wants to feel that his
dinner companion believes he is financially
inadequate - but he appreciates a smart girl who
keeps a kindly eye on the right hand column of
the menu!
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9.
Do you give instructions to the waiter, or the taxi
driver, when you are with an escort?
At
the risk of biting off your tongue, don't. Deference
to male authority in public places is one of the
prettiest gestures a woman can make - also one of the
best investments, since a man feels like doing ten
times as many things for an agreeable companion who
acts pleased with his management as for a bossy one.
10.
Do you make a point of proclaiming in mixed company,
"Thank goodness, I know how to look after myself
and don't have to ask any favors from anybody!"?
That
is probably the No. 1 rule for what not to do, if you
wish to reap the delightful rewards of true
femininity. No, silly, no one wants you to go
simpering around with downcast eyes and a look of
being too, too helpless. But any man worth his salt
has inherited a touch of the When Knighthood Was in
Flower strain from his forbearers, and thrives on
having a sense of responsibility where womenfolk are
concerned. Why freeze willing males off with a loud
boast of independence, and do yourself out of a lot of
pleasant and helpful attention? Of all laboursaving
devices ever invented for women, none has ever been so
popular as a devoted man!
You
may not accept all the foregoing conclusions, but if
you are in agreement on the majority, it is a safe bet
that you are equipped with enough femininity to hold
your own in any market, including the matrimonial. If
you are too much out of line, better relax a little.
You may be too aggressive for other people's comfort,
and your own happiness.
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