My husband and I went to an exhibit at the Chester County Historical Society of ‘ 60’s memorabilia. In the first 10 minutes, I realized, if I opened up our basement to the public, we would have a pretty sweet ’70’s and ’80’s exhibit.
My first takeaway was nostalgic. lots of toys, telephones, fashions, album covers, LIFE magazine covers, all harkening back to my childhood. After that, it got kind of ugly.
Race riots, Vietnam, Charles Manson, the 1968 DNC, Kent State, JFK, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, all of it gut-wrenching reminders of a child’s take on unsettled times.
And then it occurred to me that as things change, they really do stay the same. Today’s climate seems so divisive, so harsh, so ugly and yet in my 1960’s mind, I remember the same discomfort watching the news or hearing grown-ups talk while silently holding my mother’s hand.
This didn’t really restore my faith in humanity, except to say that, well we are still here. So there’s that.
And then came the fun part. The music in the background, just begging for us to dance, clap and sing out loud. The crazy clothes that looked like they stepped out of Laugh-In. The same John Romaine pocketbook that my mom used every day. The Jetson’s toys, the Princess phones, the 45 records that came inside the National Geographic magazine, that you could tear out and put on your record player! Yes, kids there really was such a thing.
Apparently, where I grew up was a key player in the creation of the Space Program, all top secret, of course. John Glenn and the Mercury astronauts can thank Southeastern Pennsylvania for much of their successful program. And Alan Sheperd, the first man in space can also thank us for his wife, Louise Brewer Sheperd who was from Kennett Square, PA! We were also a place where secret missiles were stashed during the Cold War. Yikes!
But my absolute favorite throw back a mere 50 years ago, was the instruction manual “How to be a Super Secretary!”
Here are some of the highlights:
- Hide your light under a bushel. Don’t take credit for any ideas you may have. Give them to your boss. If your boss does well, you move up with him. And even give your good ideas to other men. Your reputation as a good secretary will get you where you want to go.
- No matter how much you ask, your boss will never tell you what your failings are. Bosses are always nice people and just can’t tell you bad things about your performance. So it’s up to you to scrutinize your work.
- Keep your voice beautiful over the phone!
- Your office space is your kitchen! Keep it as tidy and clean as you would at home.
- Don’t be too smart, it’s overbearing.
- Never have a bad attitude. Keep that at home. Nobody wants to see that in the office. You always need to be pleasant and happy.
There were many more suggestions. It was a whole book kindly supplied by Remington typewriters! In the back of the book was a score sheet. You, or your boss, I’m not sure who, was supposed to rate you on a scale of 1 to 10 on all of these facets of your secretarial personality. Probably you had to do it because you know, your boss would never tell you if you were deficient.
I always thought I was born in the wrong decade. I love the clothes and movies and romantic times of the ’40’s and ’50’s. Now I’m not so sure. If my personality ( and affinity for an Oscar Madison lifestyle) stayed just as it is today, I would be getting fired every other week.
Thank God, I work for a woman boss (myself). I tell her how great I am all the time. She, on the other hand, has no problem pointing out my deficiencies, on a daily basis.
Thank God for change…..otherwise, how could we ever be smart enough … (and yes, I know things are sadly still the same…..)
For more of my humor go here
Cathy is the author of Showering with Nana: Confessions of a Serial Caregiver
Those Rules For Secretaries sound very much like the ‘suggestions’ the mainland Chinese put out in their films and writings to keep women under their thought control. So much for us being a true democracy back in the mid 20th century!
This begs the question – How did they fit 45 records inside the National Geographic magazine? 🙂
Oh, how I wouldlove this! I never get sick of our memorabilia and everything it brings back.
I hope that we have evolved as a society since those days. Sexism was so normalized back then. Today we are shining a light on it.
Yes…but still a long and winding road…..
I have a book on how to be a good mother from the 1950s. It is so disgusting! Yuck! and yes, has anything really changed? Whether it is ISIS or Al Queda or the Irish Republican Army or the Symbionese Liberation Army (who the hell were they liberating???), there is still terror in the world.
Bet that “good mother” book is about as useful as that “super secretary” manual!
Oh, geez. I would never have made it as a secretary, considering such advice. Gah! Thankfully we have indeed come a long way (for the most part) and my daughters will never have such rules to follow.
Sounds like a fabulous exhibit. I would love to see it! Alas, travel from Colorado doesn’t allow. Thanks for sharing what you could.
You would have loved it…but look in your basement maybe you have your own exhibit!
What’s amazing is that those rules for secretaries aren’t a joke! It’s funny how we think back on the ’60s with such nostalgia for love and peace yet forget what an explosive time it really was.
Yes, Lois in these trying times I thought it was important to note that we’ve already lived through some divisive times. It’s not so new and it is livable. And yea, that Secretary crap….well what can I say, but no wonder we’ve had to figure out our place in the world!!!
I would have loved to have seen this exhibit! Too funny.
It’s only til Labor Day. But it was so cool. If you can get to West Chester it’s so worth it!
I could feel myself getting hot under the collar just reading those “rules” for secretaries. Thank gawd things have changed to some degree–and we have the latitude to be our own bosses today!
Yay us, Roxanne our own bosses who don’t give a crap how we look. Just get the work done!
The rules for secretaries is hysterical. Being 62 I remember all the tragedies and also all the fun we had in the 60’s and 70’s. I even saw a Laugh in being filmed. You’re right about what’s happening now. In many ways, it’s even scarier now.
It was such a fun throw back day to share with my husband…better than my kids because my husband and I were just right there all over again!!! Plus it counted as a date!
My mom always said I was a 40s kid. I like that fashion too. I love your office space is your kitchen. that’s bad for me on both accounts. LOL
HAHA,right? Clearly that guy who wrote it was never in my kitchen!!!
You’re too smart. It’s overbearing.
I know, sorry. I’ll try harder.
Good grief – I loved those secretary helpful hints – what more could you ask for in a secretary than a beautiful voice and a happy face? You certainly wouldn’t want one that was too smart! We’ve come a long way 🙂
Yes, Leanne and that was only a short excerpt. Think how great those gals really were?!?!? Pretty sure I wouldn’t have lasted a day!