Not what one would call a feminist book in this day and age, but clearly had something to say at the time that raised some eyebrows (probably shaved and then drawn on if your taking HGB's advice). The real interest in this book would be take it in conjunction with Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique: both published around the same time (Sex & The Single Girl came out a year earlier and it's hard not to think The Feminine Mystique was written in response to it) and both the authors came from the world of woman's-interest magazine world. But that's were the similarities end. BF thinks all the advice about how to be a perfect woman and please your man—by being a good housewife to your obviously working husband—was psychologically destroying America, directly its wives and mothers and indirectly its children and fathers and husbands. HGB is basically giving advice to how to be a perfect woman and catch that desired man. What makes her original is she is writing to woman who aren't already married: her audience, and I guess the audience she addressed in Cosmo for all those years, are young, single woman who need to work a job and are looking for a partner. HGB's advice to them is often straight out of her magazines no doubt—clothes, make-up, recipes, dating tips, who to go for, where to get them (the answers to these questions is mostly your boss and in the office)—but the revolutionary part is her complete acceptance and evangelism for being single until you get Mr. Perfect and enjoy it while you can (she thinks this will actually help you catch Mr. Right, which sounds right to me). This means being sexual active and not worrying about it. Even to a level that might go against today's morals: HGB thinks the workplace is a great place to find men; your boss is probably a real catch (it's clear that most of the working women she addresses are low-level employees, it is 1962); and having an affair with a married man is tricky but not unjustified by any means. Not a book to read without firmly keeping historical context in mind. And I do find it strange that this book, which really is seriously dated, is mentioned so often in today's most influential cultural places: Lena Dunham talks about her; Sex and the City feels like a direct adaptation, which is depressing since it suggests nothing has changed for woman between 1962 and 2004 (and also shows how classist this book is, HGB's readers may not be rich now but they are aiming, by marriage or work, to make enough to buy anything they want); and I gather it's mentioned in Mad Men a lot too.
Considering that this book was published in the 60's, the core concept, that a single woman could live alone and have a wonderfully fulfilling life without intending to get married, was revolutionary (I would argue it still is, to some degree).This book is more of a "how to live fabulously" book than a "how to land a man"–i.e. 'Don't worry about it, enjoy yourself!' is often her man-trap advice. It's good advice! My favorite chapters where the ones on Money and the Apartment. The Apartment one reminded me of the Parks & Rec episode where Ann is professing her love for Tom Haverford (Aziz Anzari)...'s apartment. What really makes the book great is the truth in Brown's common sense advice, her self-deprecating humor, and the light hand she uses to make what could easily be a tedious subject feel like a indulgence."Helen Gurley Brown" on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Gu...In 1962, at the age of 40, her bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl was published. In 1965, she became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and reversed the fortunes of the failing magazine. During the decade of the 1960s she was an outspoken advocate of women's sexual freedom and sought to provide them with role-models and a guide in her magazine. She claimed that women could have it all, "love, sex, and money", a view that even preceding feminists such as Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer did not support at all and has been met with notable opposition by advocates of grass-roots devotion of women to family and marriage. Due to her advocacy, glamorous, fashion-focused women were sometimes called "Cosmo Girls". Her work played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution.
Do You like book Sex And The Single Girl (2003)?
Following the death of HGB, I made an effort to seek out Sex and the Single Girl to get a fuller sense of the contribution she had made to women and feminism. This book is full of feminist highs and lows, and it is actually quite difficult to pin HGB down within this. On the one hand, she is still very man- and marriage-centric, despite claims to the contrary; on the other hand, she advocates for women to embrace independence and full and happy sex lives. So this is as much a product of its time as it is challenging and controversial for its time - and to this day. For all the moments where I cringed at the engrained sexism, there were moments when I would shake my head in amazement at the picture of already extant fun singledom that HGB paints. Certainly the book might be challenging for a feminist reader, but it sure is fun too.A big part of me wants to do a Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen-style blog and try out all the advice doled out by HGB. While I'm not too sure about some of the menus, I'm sure my apartment, my wardrobe, and my social life might benefit from it.
—JC
I decided to read this after hearing it mentioned several times on Mad Men. I was interested to learn what it was exactly that Helen Gurley Brown laid out that became such an inspiration to women of the 60s. Suprisingly, I found much of it to be inspirational now, nearly 50 years later. The book gets off to a great, up beat and at times hilarious start that carries on most of the way through. Either the writing dulls out, or my interest waned, but toward the end I had some trouble staying interested. I think maybe I was just ready to get out of the house and start putting some of Brown's advice to work! All in all, a delightful read.
—Cara
I have a lot of respect for Helen Gurley Brown. She changed things for women when they really needed changing. I have been curious to read this book for awhile.The book was published in 1962, and it really shows. Ms. Brown stated in the introduction to the edition I read that she had not updated any of the advice, as she felt it could still be useful nowadays. Overall this could be true, bar the unfortunate discourse on homosexuality that definitely reflects the opinions of the time.I was rather disappointed in the prevailing view of men-as-prey, which is not an uncommon attitude today, either. Advice to view all men, married or not, as romantic prospects was a little unsettling.On the other hand, the book is about becoming a real person (even if the purpose often seems to be to make oneself more attractive to men). She talks about things like nutrition and the psychological benefits of makeup, about the value of making your home somewhere people - especially you - like to be, the necessity of starting at the bottom at a new job and working hard to reach the top.The message of the book also is that a woman has a right to be at the top, and that she is a perfectly valid person even if she is not married. And, of course, the book states outright that having an active sex life is nothing to be ashamed of. (She does recommend birth control, and counsels against trying to "trap" a man with a baby).All told, I'm glad I read the book. It affirms my view of the rights of women to have rich, full lives that include sex whether married or not. I will take away some of the advice about, for example, shopping for good clothes on a small income, and the necessity of hard work to get what you want out of life. I tend to view men as people rather than targets who must be managed, but culturally that is an attitude that started in my lifetime, so I don't hold the "target" attitude against her.
—Claire
