If you don't want to be a 50s wife, be a 50s secretary!

[GenerationCedarchip]

This was my giggle of the morning, so I had to share. Basically this blogger is saying that Perry Mason's secretary, Della Street, would make the perfect wife. Now I love watching some old PM reruns, but I always got the impression that Della wasn't anyone's fool.

However, this blogger seems to think that Della is smart but "knows her place." In other words,we're supposed to be competent but don't go getting above ourselves! :angry-banghead:

As an aside, I love the comment about how the crimes in the Perry Mason show were somehow more polite and genteel. Yep - the 50s and early 60s were all about keeping your criminal activity polite and sanitary. Why, just look at In Cold Blood for example! :roll:

Here's the link - largefamilymothering.com/2014/03/24/2608/

FYI - This lady writes for Raising Homemakers, but I don't think she's one we've discussed before otherwise.

[Cleopatra7]

Actually until the early 20th century, secretaries were men. When the typewriter was invented, women began to enter the field and it became a stereotypically female occupation. There's a wonderful film from 1947 called "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" that you can see on Youtube that shows how opening up the secretarial field to women helped stimulate the nauscent suffragette movement. It might seem like typical Hollywood fluff, but it's really subversive.

[Marian the Librarian]

Yep, typing was considered "ladylike" because it so closely resembled playing the piano. It's what led so many women into the field of librarianship - all those card catalog entries had to be typed, back in the day...

[SamuraiKatz]

Yep, typing was considered "ladylike" because it so closely resembled playing the piano. It's what led so many women into the field of librarianship - all those card catalog entries had to be typed, back in the day...

Yay for Sierra and Polaris! Computerized cataloging is a huge improvement :-) Still some typing though not nearly so frustrating--thanks to the backspace and delete keys.

[PennySycamore]

Bryan Fischer of either the American Family Association recently said that secretary was good profession for a woman. One of the candidates is SC Secretary of State is a woman. She mentioned at the county Democratic Convention that she was tempted to use that statement of Fischer's on a billboard. I hope she does!

[Dysfundamental]

Perry Mason wanted to marry Della Street, but she preferred to be his colleague. This came up many times in the books.

Della didn't only do office work; she was an active part of many of Perry's investigations.

[fun2beme]

I recall one of the fundies we discuss (can't remember who) warning about the evils of female secretaries because they were encroaching on wifely duties - taking care of the man's needs during the day, keeping him on schedule, reminding him of things to do - basically all the things a wife does at home. And they dress provocatively because they are evil, working whores.

I think she mentioned that secretaries get coffee and run errands for their bosses. I cannot even comprehend the types of hell that would break loose if my boss told his secretary to do something like that for him, although I can't imagine him making such a foolish mistake in the first place! She'd get it for him voluntarily because she's a nice person but there is no way she'd let someone order her around for personal things like that.

However, my boss has a lot of respect for women and even encourages us to share our (gasp!) opinions that conflict with his, so I can't see him doing that.

[PennySycamore]

I recall one of the fundies we discuss (can't remember who) warning about the evils of female secretaries because they were encroaching on wifely duties - taking care of the man's needs during the day, keeping him on schedule, reminding him of things to do - basically all the things a wife does at home. And they dress provocatively because they are evil, working whores.

I think she mentioned that secretaries get coffee and run errands for their bosses. I cannot even comprehend the types of hell that would break loose if my boss told his secretary to do something like that for him, although I can't imagine him making such a foolish mistake in the first place! She'd get it for him voluntarily because she's a nice person but there is no way she'd let someone order her around for personal things like that.

However, my boss has a lot of respect for women and even encourages us to share our (gasp!) opinions that conflict with his, so I can't see him doing that.

Yeah, secretaries stopped getting coffee for the boss back in the 70s.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Yeah, secretaries stopped getting coffee for the boss back in the 70s.

I worked briefly as a secretary and since I got in about half an hour before the boss, sometimes he'd be nice and bring ME coffee! :)

[Meeka]

I think she mentioned that secretaries get coffee and run errands for their bosses. I cannot even comprehend the types of hell that would break loose if my boss told his secretary to do something like that for him, although I can't imagine him making such a foolish mistake in the first place! She'd get it for him voluntarily because she's a nice person but there is no way she'd let someone order her around for personal things like that.

I worked at one company about 5 years ago where the manager had a "personal assistant" and she did everything for him. Get him coffee, order tickets for hi, make doctor's appointments for him etc and also go more secretary type jobs as well. So, there are still managers who have employees that "serve" them but I think that's it's fairly rare now.