Wonderful Vintage Hair Styles 1920-1950

The women of the 1950's were known for their well-put-together looks on a daily basis. Going out with unwashed hair, a messy bun or pony tail or heaven forbid a ball cap was just unthinkable! Looking presentable was a high priority for these women, even for just being at home. Making sure your looked good for you husband and family was a must. No velour jogging suits, sweatpants or moo-moo's allowed!

I picked some of my favorite tutorials on how to do some beautiful vintage hair styles. I have tried them all, some worked with my hair type and length and some didn't. Women didn't typically have very long hair during this time and mine is well past the middle of my back. There are tricks and tips in some of these video's to make your hair appear much shorter than it is, and they work!

Victory Rolls by Cherry Dollface (1940's style)

Finger Waves by ThriftCreations (1920-1930's style)

Faux Bangs by PinUpDollAshleyMarie (1940-1950's style)

The 1950's Is Not For Girls!

Striving to be the best 1950's housewife that I can be is definitely not for girls, you have to be a woman to make sure your house is up to 50's standards.

My schedule so far this morning has been:

5:45- Woke Up
6:00-7:00- Made and ate breakfast, Washed breakfast dishes, Took out the garbage
7:00-9:00- Fed animals, Scooped kitty litter, thoroughly cleaned 2 out of 3 bathrooms (including scrubbing toilets, sinks and showers) Vacuumed upstairs and "broomed" staircase to ensure that all pet hair was removed (yes, I was on my hands and knees with sweat beading upon my brow, using a rubber brush combing through the carpet), Started laundry, Stripped bed to wash sheets and pillowcases.
9:00- 11:00- Continue laundry, Dusting, Clean dog area outside, Sweep and Mop all tile flooring (kitchen, bathrooms, dinning room, entry, garage entry and fireplace, vacuum downstairs.

.... My morning has pretty much looked like this over the past few weeks since I decided I was going to take on a more 1950's housewife routine. I must say, It's nice being busy and always knowing that everyday you're house is going to be ready for any unexpected company, solicitors or surprises.
As soon as I wake up I  put on my FitBit. I believe every woman should have one of these. It's not 1950's for sure but it's so inconspicuous that no one will know that! Since I have a two story house I probably burn more calories running up and down the stairs but on an average day, just going around the house doing 1950's good ol' housewife duties I'm burning about 2000-2300 calories and that's no including that I try to squeeze in 15-30 minutes a day of moderate exercise. I'm also climbing about 12-16 flights of stairs a day because of the fact that I go up and down my stairs so much. With these numbers, I don't know any woman that would want an office job!

Time to continues onto my duties. I hear the dryer chiming which means it's time to start some ironing!

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men Colossians 3:23 

1950's Educational Video- Buying Food

I think this hold merit even till today. Great video. Enjoy!

Guide Rule #5

Minimize all noise:

At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

After a stressful day of commuting and working and being pulled in 10 different ways at all once it's nice to come home to a quiet home and have the feeling of peace and tranquility. 

I honestly don't know any sane person that wants to have chaos and noise surrounding them all day, wherever they go. There's something about coming home to a relaxing lit house with hardly any noise. 

A few things to have turned off or quieted by the time your husband comes home from work would be:

1. The Television- However, set the remote next to his chair or spot in the sofa so that he can turn it on when he's ready. You're not sure what show he may be feeling like watching, if any. This will also remind him that you've been working hard all day. If he comes home and the TV is on he might wonder if you were watching TV most of the day and then popped up when you heard him pulling up the driveway.
2. Dish Washer- Even though we have whisper quiet dishwasher's now, it's still nice to have it as quiet as possible. The smell of the dish detergent may be an annoyance to him. After a hard day anything could put anyone in a foul mood. Hand wash whatever needs to be taken care of and place them on the dishwasher's rack to drip dry so they're out of sight out of mind. 
3. Radio- Have you ever been so overworked or irritated that even the radio in the car was bugging you? This could be true for him on any given day so play it safe and turn whatever tunes you had playing for you throughout the day off when it gets close to his arrival.
4. Hang Up The Phone- If you happen to be gabbing with a friend or perhaps someone just called make sure to end the call before he gets home so that he can have all your attention as you greet him by the door. The most annoying thing in the world is to be happy to see someone and then have a finger placed in front of your face telling you to wait a second while they're on the phone.
5. Children- If you have kids, particularly small ones, you may want to train them that quiet play time has to happen at least 30 minutes before dads arrival. Have them read a book, play a quiet educational game (that doesn't create a mess). I say 30 minutes before he gets home that way it'll give them time to get use to bringing their energy level down plus you never know when hubby might be coming home early!
6. Pets- If you have a dog or dogs you might want to put them outside or crate them before hubby comes home. Some people don't mind being greeted by their beloved furry family members, but others don't want to have their dog(s) jump up on them as soon as they walk in the door. Use your judgement on this one. This one will truly depend on what your husband wants. 

I want to add that on top of the noise reduction I also think the house should have relaxing lighting. If you have dimmers then dim the light to a soft glow. If no dimmers then just turn on lamps instead of the fixtures overhead. You can also just turn on certain lights that will light up the house without being overbearing. I personally like to put on the lamp in the living room and then the kitchen light is usually on since I'm in there preparing dinner. 

Sometimes nightlights are a good thing too. They can be pretty bright, light up a room fairly good and give off a soft glow. The ultimate would be to have candles burning! Soft ample light, romantic and relaxing, just make sure they're high enough away from the dog or kids. Candle wall sconces are great too.

Hopefully these all help you continue on your path to being a perfect 1950's housewife and remember, You get what you give.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers,

 be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8

Women: 1950 vs. 2012

It's interesting that "thicker" was more pleasing than "thinner" back in the day, but where they really "thick"? Women did more physical activities during the 50's by cleaning house using mostly elbow grease. Housemaids and housecleaning services weren't as popular, plus showers and toilets didn't have self-cleaning products such as we do today. There were no rumba vacuums cleaning the floors while they were watching tv, shopping or working. Self-cleaning kitty litters, I don't think so. Trash compactors for home use weren't available until 1970. Women did all the work by themselves.

You've heard trainers say that every calorie counts, especially when trying to lose weight. Well with all the work 1950's housewives did they burned up to about 1,000 calories a day just cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. On top of all the cleaning these ladies also knew that exercise was an important daily ritual as well. With the average diet being a little under 2,000 calories a day and burning anywhere up to 1,000 calories a day, maybe even more, I'm not sure you can say they were "thick" ladies.

The hourglass shape of a woman then compared to now is quite drastic as illustrated here: 

1950's: Perkier breasts, tinnier waist, more thigh gap, shapelier legs

2012: heavier looking breasts, larger waist, thicker thighs, stockier legs. 

What was their secret besides being more active during the day. In a word, food. Fast food wasn't nearly as readily available as it is now. Wives home cooked every meal and packed lunches for their children and spouse. Also driving every where wasn't always the option, sometimes walking was the only choice, also riding bikes was a popular past time.

Obviously the media was telling women to not be so skinny. What a flip to be embarrassed about your body weight for being thin instead of 10-15 pounds heavier. Wow! I can't imagine a time like that. To be honest though I really don't think anyone should tell a woman how she should look in order to be deemed "pretty". Sadly too much damage from the media, models, friends, family and being teased in childhood has embedded itself like an incurable disease in women's minds and the way they look at themselves can not easily be undone. 

You're beautiful the way you are and if you don't like something about yourself you have all the right to change it however you want. Beauty truly does come from within. A persons heart reveals the beauty. 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30