The Perfection of Beauty

The perfection of beauty is not confined to the features of the face; the greater part of it goes back to the exquisite proportion among the members that make up what they call the figure. Accordingly, it has been found that the best height for the figure is that which ranges between five feet six inches and five feet seven inches. The measurement of the full roundness of the thigh is 19½ inches, the measurement around the calf 12½ inches, and around the leg at the ankle 8½ inches.

But you must not despair, Madam, if these measurements do not apply to you; for athletic exercise and elegant clothes, if you give them your attention, yield brilliant results and help greatly to create a slender figure with well-proportioned parts, as fine as you could wish.

And do not forget that an erect carriage, whether walking or sitting, is counted among the essential things that help preserve a graceful, slender figure. When you are walking, do not bend forward, and do not allow your shoulders to droop or your chin to sink, for this contributes to stooping and slackness.

Rather, be erect of figure, chin raised, firm of step, as though you were looking at some definite thing ahead of you.

Athletic games that work toward the harmony of the body's parts are among the most important factors that beautify the figure. Rhythmic, interpretive dancing, swinging, and fencing are useful sports, for they exercise the muscles so that the limbs do not appear slack. These kinds of physical exercise are very beneficial for young girls — not for elderly women.

If you are short of stature, do not let the ends of your hair hang loose upon your shoulders, for this only makes your shortness more conspicuous; nor should you wear hats with wide brims that all but cover your shoulders. Be assured that hair swept upward helps to make your figure appear slender.

And if your face is round, do not leave the hair of your head loose: a round face requires the hair drawn tight and smoothed back. There is no doubt whatever that physical exercise reduces weight: the film star Gene Tierney claims that her weight fell by about 6 kilograms in four weeks as a result of the exercise she performs daily.