The Washington times., 1936-11-20

Beauty
Avoiding Age
Signs
BY DONNA GRACE


There are so many really young
looking mature women today. The
average smart woman Is not even
concerned with the thought of
growing old, but instead Of grow
ing old, is growing youth-minded,
and finds it takes very little effort
to keep as young as her daughters
or even her grandchildren.
The young vogue, as far as we
know, seems to belong to the pres
ent generation, and while there
are a number of reasons for the
improvement, we believe it may be
conceded the mental and physical
activities Of the modern woman
are the reasons for it.
Activity
When we stop to think what the
signs Of age are, we would say it
is the slowing up and giving up
the habits of youth. We humor
our inclination to sit down and
rest and to stay in bed and sleep
more than we should.
The result of such inactivity
means change in the figure, and
especially in the carriage and pos
ture. The hips gradually become
heavier, and worst of all is that
the back of the neck and shoulder
line takes on that unmistakable
mature roundneSS that belongs
to old age.
These changes are so gradual
that there is hardly any excuse
for one to let herself lose the
charm Of youthful lines. It is
easy to understand what we mean
by inactivity if we will just watch
the average young person, espe-
cially the way they move their
heads and bodies. The little necks
are so supple they can almost face
backwards without turning the
body.
Wrong Posture
The correct posture is just as
comfortable as the careless one,
we assume, and so much better
looking. Here are some of the
things to bear in mind if we would
stand and sit gracefully:
Keep the abdomen flat always.
Stretch the neck, but with the
chin in. Drop the shoulders. Be
sure that the shoulders are
dropped, the back is straight and
has no suggestion of swaying back.
There should be no suggestion Of
a concave or hollow back at the
waistline. When assuming the
correct posture, there should be
rather pinched-in feeling at the
back below the waistline.
Lie flat on your back on the
floor and be sure the vertebra or
backbone touches the floor firmly
at the waistline. Put your fingers
under at this point and you will
understand what pressure is neces-
sary to keep the body perfectly
flat.
SuppleneSs
When this correct postur e be-
comes the natural one, it will not
be necessary to use any pressure
to keep the back in a straight line.
The girls of the screen and stage
and all well-trained models stand
and sit in the correct way, and it
is a comfortable posture for them.
we may find it a little strain at
first if we have been careless long
enough to form bad habits, but it
is not nearly as difficult to correct
as We may think. Every exercise
we do along the right lines will
make q real improvement.
There are special sets of move
ments that will bring quicker re-
suits. One is the face and neck
movements that will bring quick
results, and the other is the Splen-
did set of normalizing exercises
that have worked out. These ex-
erciSeS are illustrated and can cas-
lily be done at home. They have
been used by a number Of my
readers for reducing and also for
correct posture. Two or three,
done regularly, will soon relieve
the stiffness and reduce the ex-
cess weight.
Fleur-de-lis: It is too bad you
were so lavish in the use of this
perfume on your new white satin
dress. You have learned that per
fumes will stain and diScolor any
fabric. Even the very best per-
fume will do this, and that is
why one must use them on the
skin and hair and, of course, on
the hands.
1t is nice to spray the arms
with your favorite scent when
you are wearing a formal gown.
Do not use the heavy sandalwood
aromaS for the daytime. They
are more appropriate for the eve
ming and are quite suitable for
the metallic cloth and glamorous
effects.
Hilda: There are a number of
inexpensive mouth washes, but
why not continue to use the soda
and salt, since you have always
found it SO satisfactory?