Discussion Points for "Inventing the Cosmo Girl: Class Identity and Girl-Style American Dreams."

- I wrote this as if I were writing a letter to Helen Gurley Brown, whom this article is written about. What are your thoughts?

Helen Gurley Brown's books

Dear Ms. Helen Gurley Brown,

            So let me get this straight, according to you, all I need to do is purchase a push-up bra, apply makeup and wear fine materials, smell delicious and I’ll get a great husband, a decent job and move up a few rungs on the economic ladder? Well by golly gee, where’s the nearest Saks?

It’s one thing to recommend how to’s and give tips on womanhood but to suggest a lifestyle and the means to get there is a bit preposterous Ms. Brown. Your writings don’t help us women acquire the “American Dream” any more than Maury Povich does with relationships.  Let’s get one thing clear, the “American Dream” is a dream in and of itself- being a homeowner with a spouse, two kids, one dog and a white picket fence won’t bring anyone true happiness and neither will any of your books or articles. Helping women become dependent gold-diggers rather than independent respectable females to potentially move up to the “high class” is not quite the best thing for women of any age to read. Using things to get men and men to get things mean nothing if you aren’t content with you being you in the most basic form. You’re basically creating a façade and being that your books are internationally distributed and articles are read nationally, so many women will heed to your advice and nine times out of ten fail miserably. No amount of makeup, behavioral and sexual suggestions or your how to weed out the “perfect” husband ideas will make a woman more womanly, sexual, give her the upper hand nor bring her class.

            What I can applaud you for Ms. Brown, is speaking and writing what you feel is truth especially on taboo topics like a woman’s sexuality, class roles, economics etc. Not many women could have done that in the 1960’s and many don’t have the galls to do it now. Kudos to your fearlessness. Now that is what women need more of.

 Thanks for your time,

Joanna- Marie B.