Modern Retro Woman

A Home for Timeless Women - Inspiring you on your journey as a gracious, elegant, classy, self-sufficient, and well-rounded woman.

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You Owe It To Your World To Be Charming

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Three women talking; image for You Owe It To Your World to be Charming blog post on ModernRetroWoman.com

A charming woman… doesn’t follow the crowd.  She is herself. ~Loretta Young

Dear Friends,

There is a misconception about charm I want to clear up.  A lot of people think that charm is about being fake.  They think people use charm to get what they want.  Actually, the opposite is true.

According to Charm* (1934) author, Margery Wilson, charm is about making others feel good.  Like most women, I’m guessing you want to put people at ease and make them feel like they are the most important person in the world.  Unfortunately, we don’t always succeed in a world where authentic charm is no longer valued.

You Owe it to Your World to be Charming

Today’s modern world feels so emotionally violent.  The political climate seems to have destroyed friendships.  News coming from various media makes people want to pull the covers over their heads and never leave their beds.  I have several friends who have stopped using social media completely.  Even grocery shopping sometimes feels like engaging in a battle.

You may not be able to change the entire world but you can change your world by being charming.  Here are some ways you can change your world:Continue Reading

Being Feminine is Your Most Powerful Asset

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Nature has blessed you with your femininity.  That’s your first asset.  The mere fact that you were born a woman makes you something special.  Be proud of your femininity and make the most of it.  -John Roberts Powers, Secrets of Poise, Personality, and Model Beauty, 1961.

Dear Friends,

True confession time:  I love being a feminine woman.  I love all of the pots of potions that sit on my dresser.  I love wearing perfume, makeup, and pretty clothes.  All of the accoutrements of being a feminine woman make me feel special.  And, I wholeheartedly agree when Mr. Powers says, above, that being feminine is your most powerful asset.  Unfortunately, too many women don’t understand how to draw power from their femininity.

The Rise of the Fake Man

A major misconception of our modern culture is mistaking femininity with weakness.  Masculinity is considered strong while people often equate femininity as powerlessness.  As a result, women are encouraged to adopt masculine styles and behaviors.  And, in their desire to be successful, women follow the advice to be a fake man.  But, Continue Reading

How to Go From Frumpy to Fabulous

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You can wear a larger variety of lines in your clothes than any other figure type; but remember that while your hips are not wide compared to the rest of figure, neither are they narrow. ~ Emmi Cotten (Clothes Make Magic, 1949)

Dear Friends,

Do you have a coveted “hourglass figure?”  Generally speaking, a woman with an hourglass figure has similar bust and hip measurements with a waist that is about 10″ smaller.  It is called an “hourglass figure” because it resembles…wait for it…an old fashioned hourglass.  I know.  Crazy, right? 

Though the hourglass figure has taken on almost mythical proportions, if we aren’t careful, we can end up looking rather frumpy.  The focus of this blog post is to take us from frumpy to fabulous!

Why We May Look Frumpy With an Hourglass Figure

There are lots of ways we can end up looking frumpy if we aren’t careful:Continue Reading

How to Let Go of the Need to Be Right

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How to Let Go of the Need to be right ModernRetroWoman.com blog

Some people are so constituted that they would rather lose a friend than an argument.  Be yourself, simple, honest and unpretending, and you will enjoy through life the respect and love of friends. ~Harold Sherman

 

Dear Friends,

Have you ever encountered the person–most often on social media–who just won’t let go of an argument?  She just keeps at it and at it like some sort of mad dog with a chew toy in an effort to prove that she’s right and everyone else is wrong.  She just can’t let go of the need to be right.

If you’re Continue Reading

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Hi There! I’m Dr. Julie-Ann

I’m so glad that you are here! Are you like me and long for the days when people lived by a set of values and ideals–like family, home, femininity, home cooked meals with real food, dressing well out of respect for self and others, fiscal responsibility, and connectedness–that seem to have been cast aside in today’s cynical and crass world?

By day, I help professors achieve their teaching goals at a mid-sized public university smack dab in the middle of the United States. The rest of the time, however, I’m using all of those same scholarship skills I use for my out-of-the-house job to study mid-century gracious living advice books on topics such as personal presence, clothing that makes you feel beautiful, and good cooking.  My readers love that I am able to translate that information for today’s modern world so that they can be the kind of women they’ve always wanted to be.

Learn more about me (along with my life with The Mister) and the blog by clicking on the “Start Here” button on the navigation bar at the top of the page.

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