Gender
Zink’s Womanless Library
When T.M. Zink died in 1930, his will directed that the bulk of his estate should go to the construction of a library in his hometown of LeMars, Iowa — a library from which all women, and any books written by women, would be permanently banned.The city government of LeMars wasn't exactly pleased by this gift and raised no objections when Zink's daughter (successfully) challenged the will, arguing that her father was of unsound mind. So Zink's womanless library never became a reality.
Of course, as odd as his bequest sounds today, throughout most of history womanless libraries were the norm — until well into the nineteenth century, I believe.
More details below.
Evansville Press Sun - Nov 23, 1930
American Libraries magazine - Dec 1976
click to enlarge
No woman shall at any time, under any pretense or for any purpose, be allowed inside the library, or upon the premises or have any say about anything concerned therewith, nor appoint any person or persons to perform any act connected therewith.
No book, work of art, chart, magazine, picure, unless some production by a man, shall be allowed inside or outside the building, or upon the premises, and this shall include all decorations for inside and outside of the building.
There shall be over each entrance to the premises and building a sign in these words: "No Woman Admitted."
It is my intention to forever exclude all women from the premises and having anything to say or do with the trust estate and library...
If any woman, or women, shall be allowed to disregard any of the limitations herein placed upon them, it shall be ground for removal of the trust estate and library...
My intense hatred of women is not of recent origin or development nor based upon any personal differences I ever had with them but is the result of my experiences with women, observations of them, and study of all literatures and philosophical works within my limited knowledge relating thereto.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 20, 2025 -
Comments (2)
Category: Gender, Women, Libraries, Inheritance and Wills, 1930s
The Romantic Women of Iberia
The late 1960s/early 1970s was definitely the peak period for sexual innuendo in Airline ads. Particularly innuendo focused on stewardesses.Other examples: Think of her as your mother (1968), Fly Me (1971), Take me I'm yours (1976)
Life - June 5, 1970
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 04, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Advertising, Gender, Air Travel and Airlines
The phone company wants installers like Alana MacFarlane
In the early 1970s, AT&T was faced with bad publicity. During congressional hearings, it had been revealed that although the phone company was the largest employer of women in the country, almost all of those women were employed as low-paid telephone operators. There were almost no women in higher paying jobs, such as in repair or installation. AT&T responded to the criticism with the two ads below.
Ms magazine - July 1972
Sports Illustrated - June 12, 1972
Was Alana MacFarlane a real person? Absolutely. Even before the magazine ads appeared, AT&T had been making sure to let the media know that it had hired a female installer. The media responded with nudge-nudge wink-wink headlines:
Long Beach Independent - Dec 16, 1971
Torrance Daily Breeze - Apr 7, 1972
But the national spotlight AT&T had placed on MacFarlane proved uncomfortable for her. Within six months she had requested to be transferred to a desk job, ending her brief career as an installer.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Sep 14, 1972
A one-page blogspot blog, "Alana Macfarlane's story," created in 2010, gives some info about what subsequently became of her. She left AT&T, joined the Air Force for a while, and eventually became an engineer. It reveals that she was paid all of one dollar by AT&T for the ad she featured in.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 21, 2025 -
Comments (3)
Category: Advertising, Gender, Women, Telephones, 1970s
Can the beauty queen make a batter pudding?
1950: E.W. Wyer, a councillor in Hunstanton (Norfolk), proposed that beauty contests should focus on brains as well as beauty. He suggested:
London Daily Mirror - Oct 18, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 03, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Intelligence, Gender, 1950s
To wives who leave their husbands at home…
Remember his "household helplessness."See the recent post "How to live without a woman" for another example from the 1930s of male household helplessness (aka strategic incompetence).
Marysville Advocate - Aug 6, 1936
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 15, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, Gender, Men, 1930s
How to live without a woman
Alexander Wright's 1937 book, How To Live Without A Woman, was a celebration of bachelorhood. But it seems that Wright's strategy for life without a woman was to get his female friends to feel sorry for him and do his housework for him.Doesn't really seem like he was living without a woman if he was still getting women to do all his work. And you have to wonder how long he managed to keep any female friends before they figured out what was going on.
Pittsburgh Press - Sep 18, 1938
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 31, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Gender, Men, Women, Books, 1930s
To Gladden Hearts and Lighten Labor
Surprise, Honey! Now get to work.
1937 - via Science History Institute
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 25, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Advertising, Gender, 1930s, Christmas
Inmate seeks transfer
Specifically, he wanted to be transferred to a woman's prison so that he could "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth."He must have figured it didn't hurt to ask.
Miami News - Nov 10, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 06, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Prisons, Gender, 1970s
No dates for speeders
If Aristophanes's Lysistrata was rewritten to be set in Memphis during the 1930s, it could be about all the young women banding together to refuse to date any boys who drove faster than the speed limit.
Pittsburgh Press - Feb 26, 1939
A better quality picture of Mary Agnes:
Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 09, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Gender, 1930s, Cars
Doll-to-Doll Carpeting, and other Mr Leggs Ads
These Mr. Leggs ads offer a window onto the twisted male psyche of the 1960s. They ran in newspapers and magazines (Esquire) from 1963 to 1965.
"Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn’t have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her. That noble styling sure soothes the savage heart! If you’d like your own doll-to-doll carpeting, hunt up a pair of these he-man Mr. Leggs slacks."
"It took him years of practice and dozens of bruised, outraged ladies, but he's perfected it. She's under his spell."
"Get all knotted up when she floats by? Relax."
"There they were at the snack bar... this one and her sister Eileen (roughly 38-20-38). He smiles; she smiles. He spoke; she responded eagerly. Asked him to watch the kid for a few minutes. That was two hours ago."
"Why torture yourself? Be flexible!"
"Our hero's had a hard day. He had to set up the hammock. And he had to crawl into it. Exhausting. Now he's ready to collect his reward."
"Even Cora the Cobra can't resist getting next to the man in a pair... proving that at times they're downright dangerous to wear. For other species of Cora's sex (like girls) are also apt to over-react to Slats' virile appeal."
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 10, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Advertising, Gender, Men, 1960s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |