Library of Congress LC-USZ62-102221

I got sidetracked in my research again. But you, Dear Reader, will be the beneficiary, because I stumbled upon a book from 1910, written by one Margaret Mixter, entitled Health and Beauty Hints, that is filled with sensible advice. Take fitness. Turns out we’ve been going about it all wrong. What, according to Ms. Mixter, is the best exercise to develop “a round, pretty figure?” Why, housework.

Yes, that’s right. Put away your running shoes. Roll up your yoga mat. Ms. Mixter maintains that “sweeping, dusting, or even washing, if the latter is not too heavy to strain the muscles, helps to strengthen and beautify the body. (207)

“Sweeping,” she continues, “is one of the best methods of rounding the arms, as well as giving correct poise. A woman whose shoulders are well thrown back, when she grasps the broom firmly, and sways her whole body, with each stroke, may add grace to her figure.”

Cornell University Library – http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/correct-postures-for-housework-1920s/#sthash.EjSa8p1x.dpuf

Don’t laugh. Housework was no joke back in 1910. Stoves had to be blackened, hearths had to be swept, and carpets had to be beaten on a regular basis. The first motorized vacuum cleaner was patented and sold to William Henry Hoover in 1908, so at the time of the writing of Health and Beauty Hints, it’s unlikely that many housewives owned their own model yet. Most housewives (or their servants) must have had very round arms.

A hand-powered pneumatic vacuum cleaner, circa 1910. via Wikimedia

“Few women seem to know that a constant firm grasp of an object such as a broom or hard duster handle will round the arms,” Ms. Minter shares.

She is also brimming with suggestions for ways to whittle your waist. Here’s one:  “Bending over a wash tub affects the waist line and hips to their betterment when the lean comes from the waist, and not from the shoulders.” (208)