THE GIRL OF TO-DAY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE GIRL OF TO-DAY

By “Eve” In a number of New Zealand schools to-day, specially trained teachers conduct classes in physical training, with special emphasis on the importance of posture. The movement is yet in its infancy, and only a limited number of these specialists have been trained. The scheme is largely due to the enthusiasm of Mr .Renfrew White (Dunedinj, the noted surgeon and bone specialist, who believes that posture is all important to health. Instead of the dry-as-dust “arms bend” exercises of our young days, the girls in these schools are taught graceful dances and rhyth mic movements. Naturally, they enjoy these, and although they never realise it, they arc building future health along the lines of grace and posture. They are being given the right start, ami we should see that they enjoy all the benefits later in life. It is useless train ing for correct posture in youth, and then neglecting it when we grow up and start to work at those very occupations which make correct posture so difficult. The work ■which most of us have to do is not conducive to good posture. and until recently, Dame Fashion has been against it too. Now, however, fashion decrees a. silhouette with prominent curves, and thus i:. starting to lead us back to grace again. When first the straight frocks came into fashion, most of us threw aside those bony and restrictive corsets which so long hampered our movements, and a generation has arisen which knows corsets hardly at all. To-day, however, with increased knowledge of the importance of posture to health, there is a swing back to some form of “foundation garment” which will mould and keep our figures right. The restriction and the ugliness of the old-time corsets have gone by the board, and in their place is a beautiful garment made of choice materials, which fits us like a glove but hampers us not at all. At -what ago should we start wearing these foundation garments?

Just as there is a large Body of medical opinion which believes in proper training in posture in childhood, so is there a growing weight of opinion that the modern foundation garment is needed in the interests of health and that it should be won. from the age of 16 upwards. We can be obstinate, we can refuse to wear them, but in the long run. these doctors say, our figures will suffer—and possibly ou* health. Actually the foundation garments that arc suitable for young girls are so dainty, so light and so free from any tendency to restrict activity, that there is no argument against their use.

The bogey is sometimes raised that the wearing of any garment of this type is ‘‘unnatural,” but ■when we look around we see that nearly everything we do in this life is unnatural. Sitting at an office desk all day, or standing behind a shop counter, are not the occupations of the “natural” women of uncivilised countries. And in any case are these so-called “natural’’ women to be our ideal of beauty? Let us hope not. ]f our ideal of beauty lies in the direction of the savage type of uncivilised lands, the best thing we can do is to fling discretion—and our foundation garments—to the winds.

Foundation garments to-day are made in keeping with medical knowledge and provide gentle support and moulding of the youthful figure. They are made to suit all figure types in all sizes in the daintiest of materials—so much so that the buyer really gets a “made-to-measure” garment at “ready-made” cost. If our young girls have good figures now, we want to keep them so; if their figures are not good, we can gradually improve them. By starting early in life with the wearing of foundation garments, we are building soundly for the future and giving ourselves the opportunity of still having a youthful figjre when we reach middle age. Many medical men who are dissatisfied with the posture of modern girls consider that 16 is the ideal age at which to ’ommence with the foundation garment. If we are to conform with the dictates )f 1931 fashions, we will all have to ivear them, and the sooner our young people start, the better.