kara's vintage collection: etiquette books

a word from my sister:

emily post is my hero. how come my generation didn’t learn squat from her? i have a true fascination and longing for proper etiquette in society’s daily interaction with one another.

in college, the required public speaking course had your typical mix of lackadaisical college freshmen. the average topic chosen by students for discussion was usually something like, “why marijuana should be legalized”. I wondered why people didn’t pick a topic a little more informational and practical. so I chose to speak about “proper etiquette to prepare for the business world”. in doing research, I became incredibly interested in this subject. granted I wasn’t living in the 1950’s, but I enjoyed sharing my findings with fellow friends and classmates, in hopes that they could use some of these simple etiquette tips for future interviews or in their everyday life.

since then, I scan estate sales & thrift shops for any material by the post or vanderbilt families.  my favorite book is one that my mom found for me is. it’s called “the cosmo girl’s guide to the new etiquette” and was published in 1967. it insists that no woman should leave the house without full makeup (including false eyelashes), because you just never know what gentleman you may meet that day.

and while that is a little extreme by today’s standards, I one day hope to teach a small etiquette class for younger children with the hopes of exposing them to some common, polite and everyday expected social behavior. I think that is just what our generation needs!