Style Guide: Soft Hands For A New Generation

Fragile masculinity and leaning in may be the cause du jour of today but did our forefathers (and mothers!) deal with the same issues? While the current fashion is splitting more and more along the lines of amorphous gender profiles and strict cultural norms this is hardly a new phenomenon.

No, far from new, our fashionable brethren of 100 years ago were fighting the same (largely non-existent) fights to maintain the status quo while seeming to barrel headlong into the future.

This writer has observed that where women are taking great strides in overcoming the many hurdles laid down for them by men in the ruling class (read gender) they are met with as many subtle hints at their need to remain the soft, submissive sex.

Margaret Mixter’s guide to beauty from 1910 give readers many techniques for banishing those tell tale signs of steady work from what should be pale, silken hands. Ms Mixter scolds, “to whiten and soften the hands is such a simple and inexpensive task that there is no excuse for coarse skinned fingers and broken nails.”

There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it

-- Alice Paul

While women grew stronger in both economic and political realms men feared a feminizing influence. While that may be logical to some of the day, this writer does not understand how women having the balls to step into a man’s realms means that these realms are, therefore contaminated with inescapable plagues of estrogen.

As this writer ponders these questions she better understands the need for soft hands in times of women’s growing strength. While women step into traditionally male roles someone will have to comfort the newly lost, disoriented men. Just as a small child will cling to his favorite soft toy so to do these new men need a soft hand to lean his cheek upon. A gentle touch and a kind word being the best salve to a shattered self image, brought about by the shocking realization that women should be treated as equals.

But that’s just this writer’s opinion.