Good housekeeping

I found an interesting rant (her word) from a nice enough young woman (who can't love someone who names her dear son Ambrose!) She ran across some discarded vintage cookbooks and discovered what marketers used to sell to women.

"Good hostesses prefer delicacies by Raffetto!"

"Every good housewife want things to look bright and clean! Use SAMOLINE, it cleans everything!"

"Is it any wonder that all good housewives of today prefer Ball?" Jars?

Seems to me like any company trying to market something to women using a phrase like "good housewife" or "good hostess" would probably lose business anymore, if not get sued by some crazy feminist who decided it offended her.

What's sad, to me, is that women today no longer take any pride in femininity. Our culture has been so poisoned by feminism, and women are no longer allowed by society to take pride in being a good hostess, in being a good cook, a good housekeeper, a good mother. Instead, we're told that we should be some sexy, sassy, high-end, high-mainenance, degree-earning, pants-wearing, dominating man-eater. There's no room in our culture to appreciate the beauty of fertility, to celebrate the new life that God creates in a woman. In fact, the widespread use of contraception has both told women that they ought not "create too much", thus robbing them of their most beautiful God-given gift, and has left them to find some other means to prove themselves as valuable contributors to society.

I'll agree with some of her points. "Housekeeping" is simply an integral part of hotel services or the job of that woman -- what was her name, Alice? from Brady Bunch. Anyone in the business after her either didn't speak English, or had a heavy accent.

She's also correct in noticing that feminists have shredded the wholesome pride that women once took in their homes -- a part of the feminine vocation that Edith Stein took very seriously. That's to be lamented and fought with the order we bring to family life and the running of our households. I love her insight on how the world tries to suppress the real gifts of women for what ends up being secondary distractions.

The only reservation I have is that I've perused old cookbooks and been horrified at what passed as nutrition in the last 100 years. An excellent reminder is here (be careful --  you could browse for literally hours!) At a certain point, advertising lost a connexion to what was real and provided a parody of itself as well as the very family life it was trying to "package" for a buck.

Comments

[Mrs Jackie Parkes]

i really must learn how to cook!