The Washington times., 1917-01-17
Women Who SLOUGH in Chair
Develop Curve of Flesh on
Their Backs.
UPRIGHT POSITION URGED
Many Have Wrong Idea Of
Proper Manner to Hold
Bodies Erect.

houtte OF q lady sitting lin a chair,
whereby the curve OF her bust is
matched by the outward curve Of her
back, due to the fat that has gathered
thereon? She is in an incorrect sitting
posture. Had she not sat all slouched
down like that for SO many years it
is possible she might not now have
so many pounds of fat padding her
shoulder blades. She is not pretty,
and perhaps she does not claim to be;
but II she knew how really unlovely
she looked she might do something
about 1t:
Have You ever noticed a young girl
sitting at typewriter with a hollow
where her chest ought to be and an
outward bow for q back? She is
young snd thin, so as yet she has
not taken on the flesh that disfigures
her elder sister. She does not know
she looks like a cripple else she would
do something abou it.
Movements Are Smooth.
Have you ever seen girls-one does
not see mGny-who seem to float in
stead Of walk, and about whom there
IL never an angular motion? Their
heads are up, their poise is perfect. II
they are offered a seat in a car they
glide into it Every move they make
-as the transition from standing to
sitting-is as smooth as an undula-
ton They do not double UP like a
jGckknife and plump themselves into
a chair. nor do they hop into it with
q wiggle-waggle of the head as though
the latter were fastened to the neck
so insecurely it threatened to fly OF
into the aisle at any minute. Nor
again do they slouch into it with
grunt as they ease their burden OF
flesh into the seat proffered to them.
You say: They're naturally grace
full, and they can't do anything awk-
ward what'r-ye goin' to do about it?"
Spend Time on Muscles.
There are few women in America
who haye spent more time on the
training OF muscles to respond to the
demand made OF them than Josephine
Mott Robinson. This for the reason
that muscle training was being prac-
ticed in her family for two genera
tions before she was born. Mrs. Rob
inson's grandmother. who was of
Dutch and French parentage, was one
of the famous authorities on horse
handling in connection with acrobatic
work OF her time.
Speaking of sitting and standing
positions, she said not long ago:
How many girls do you see sitting
with their bodies up?"
Ups" was the curious rejoinder.
What do you mean by up?"
Torso Is Held Up.
up" she reiterated. stretched!
Why, it simply means the torso held
up; chest up, shoulders fat and down,
and the whole weight of the trunk or
the hips instead OF resting on them.
The legs, you know. were not intend
ed to carry the weight of the trunk of
the body. They were given us to
walk with Instead of that we sit,
all slumped down, the topmost organs
resting on the stomach, the stomach
on the intestines, and the intestines
al scrouged down with the weight OF
the whole; just because we haven't
the muscle strength and the spunk to
hold the body Up in a posture which
would keep the organs in their places, |
be Infinitely more healthy, to say
nothing OF being infinitely more ef-
fectfve. Since the average woman |
cares more about being effective than |
being healthy, IT is strange she does
not make more of an effort to sit |
properly.
Position ID Uncomfortable.
But you tell the average woman |
TO sit up, and what does she do? She |
pokes out her chest and raises her |
shoulders, throwing them back at the |
same time, q position she can no more |
hold without discomfort than she |
could walk on all fours. To get into |
correct position first stand and get |
the body in line as If with an imagi- |
nary line from the crown of the head |
to the soles OF the feet, and then |
--stretch the torso-the shoulders even,
Comfortable, and fat; the abdomen in |
and fiat, the chest out.
1t is surprising to see how far one /
can stretch, keep right on going
up, up, up! A woman told me the |
other day that she tried this, walk
ing for twenty blocks in the city, and |
to her surprise it seemed as though |
she were made of elastic. With her
body perpendicular. she walked along
imagining she was trying to touch the |
sky with the top of her hat
At the end of the distance she said
il seemed as though she had not vet
exhausted her power TO keep on
stretching her body upward This
same determination to hold the body
up should be maintained when sit
ting; eventually it will become habit.
You never yet saw a woman who ap-
parently fioated when she walked |
whose body was all slumped into itself
like an old ACCORDION.
Land Lightly On Feet.
Take the Russian dancers, for ex-
ample, in those great leaps of theirs.
Have you noticed how lightly they
come down on their feet? II they
allowed themselves sitting positions
with their organs constantly sagging
toward the abdominal cavity do you
suppose for an instant they could
achieve that spring and lightness?
1T is easy enough to say that peo-
rle are naturally graceful. ) We look
upon dancers as eXponents of grace.
and those who make a mark in their
profession must have had a certain