CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 57, 8 March 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

NEWS FOR THE FAT AND FOR THE THIN. TO REDUCE YOUR WEIGHT. (By A PARIS BEAUTY SPECIALIST.) The stout women are all busy concentrating on losing weight just now, and the naturally born lean busy themselves warding off imaginary fat. Reducing has become every woman's concern. Some merely toy with the practice. Perhaps they tip the scales at 1301b, they would much prefer to read 125, and they shrink from 140, and so they listen when others propound favourite reducing recipes. They return . from card parties determined to live only on raw cabbage and buttermilk — excepting parties, of course. They are strict with themselves for a week, then they weaken. Still, they forgo potatoes, and call it reducing. But their stouter sisters make it the stern duty of life. No flirting with calories when you weigh 198!. Such as these listen with strained attention ' when the conversation turns to the relative merits of milk and potatoes, or pineapple and lamb chop. They collect statistics, and figure differences in ounces. Every fraction counts when the point quivers within easy reach of 200. The Scales. When the poor woman whose business it is to reduce has an unkind husband, who grins every time she does. so at home, she determines to do her weighing away from home. Many closely guarded secrets could the weighing scales of public places disclose! Money drops into the slot all day, and the air is heavy with sighs. Off go coat, gloves, and hat, down go pocket-book and , packets. Anxious eyes watch the swift pointer in its merciless ascent to the dreaded stop. Sometimes the reducer puts in another "piece de deux sous," just to see if there has not been a mistake; or she'goes on to another weighing machine, and tries again. If she continues her search she may step off with a smile, in the conviction that she has lost half a pound. ,I.Her heart, at any rate, will be lighter. All a weighing-machine need do in order to get women's trade is to train scales politely to lie. Of Rolling Pins and Other Things. There are rolling pins "that massage the muscles four ways at once, and just roll off the fat." Reducing girdles, moreover,,.have almost become the feminine uniform. At first, it seems easier to wear something, than to give up eating, but presently ■ the reducer, turns back to seek the latest in reducing literature, and there i 3 always plenty of that. ■ "Sweat out your fat," the Turkish bath man advises, and "ladies day" at the bath is a riot. A swimming instructor passes out the magic word, and, lo! in the morning the:-e appears a new heavy-weight class, firm in the belief that the heart's desire lies just on the other side of the pool. Said a dancing teacher: "I'm just swamped with classes for the stout. They'll go through anything to reduce, and call for more. You'd think they'd get cut of breath going through such steps—and they do. But. they catch their breath and go at it again. You'd think they'd be sore and stiff and they are, but they never, never miss a lesson. Their hearts are young. Why I have one pupil, a woman of 65, who comes from Bordeaux for-' reducing dances twice a week." Reducing ardour goes such lengths that when they have finished the regular course they supply themselves with a phonograph, a set of scales and a book of lessons. Then they dance more or less as their gains or losses suggest and the written instructions direct. The manufacturers of reducing phonograph records have made their pile, also distributors "of "thinning" goods. " Sweets are Supposed to Fatten. Everyone knows that sweets are supposed to fatten, and certain manufacturers became uneasy when they heard that customers were counting calories. But, the advertising man takes care of that! Thus, one sees certain advertisements recommending sweets that satisfy the craving for sweetmeats without adding an iota of fat. Still, chocolates remain, and chocolate, as everyone knows, is fattening. Even that, though, fails to stump the advertising man: This is his solution: "Take a chocolate before every meal to reduce your appetite and watch your weight drop." Don't be Discouraged. I'm afraid tlio above paragraphs may somewhat discourage those of my readers who are bent on reducing. The only thing to do it seems to me, when reducing, is to persevere. Whatever form of reducing you undertake, do it with all your heart, and never relax, not even for a moment. The "Turkish-bath," in spite of all and everything, is perhaps one of the best methods. It is, briefly, a systematic series of treatments that help the body to eliminate poison, stimulate circulation and break down fatty tissues. It, in fact, serves many purposes at the same time. Dancing reduces some, while it actually ' fattens others. It certainly is a very delightful way of getting thin! As for the rolling pin, I have heard of many women who have found that it answers in "reducing in spots," excellently. Reducing girdles are best left alone. If made of rubber, and not porous, they are actually harmful to the health. A fat woman, should, of course, never leave her figure to itself. Long, elastic belts, without laces, are the best for her. They keep her in, and she cannot loosen, even if she wishes to. Never let yourself "go." That is a good rule for the fat. Weight Can be Managed if You Wish. Yes, weight can be managed. The truth is, the lean woman likes her slimness—and who can blame her when most fashions are made for her figure? And the fat woman, in turn, ia generally rather lazy, and would rather stay fat than go through the trouble of diet and exercise. In fact, the fat woman usually is fat because she is good natured and well satisfied. The fat producing foods you all know—butter and milk and ews rice, potatoes, macaroni, sugar and sweets. Avoid these and drink as little as possible with your meals—and you will be a good step on the road of your heart's desire.