Suddenly, images of myself- a young woman who spends her entire income on shockingly expensive dresses, goes out drinking with friends almost every weekend and devotes excessive amounts of time to self-centred activities-cleaning sinks on my hands and knees came to mind. I have never scrubbed a toilet in my life. I do not iron. I do not bake.
And then it dawned on me- at 21, I can’t even look after myself!
Needless to say, the guy is gone, but the experience of men yearning for a 50s-style housewife has inspired me to reflect on the way women’s lives once were, how they are today and whether or not their roles in the home have really changed.
So... I have decided to put the humble little housewife to the test in 'Hell in High Heels?'with the help of none other than my gorgeous 80-year-old Grandma Dot.
My Grandma was a young woman throughout the 1950s and I hope that she will be able to give me an insight into what life was like for her back then, the challenges herself and other women faced as well as some of the joyful elements of the period.
As a child I always thought of my Grandma as being 'old' and have only recently started to realise that she was once like me-a young woman unsure of herself and her place in the world. She used to dance, to work, rebel against her parents and gossip with her friends. She's been through everything I am yet to face in life and has lived to tell the tale ( amongst her sermons on the cure-all powers of Epson Salt and recounts of 'The Bill').
I hope that I can ask my Grandma about her life during the 50s, focusing on the three topics of housework, style and hobbies.
With each topic I would like to find out what was expected of women during the time and ask Grandma how she approached these tasks,comparing her experiences to those of my own.
It will be interesting to see how big the generation gap really is!
Lastly, I hope to provide myself, the domestic failure, with a challenge for each section of the blog. Videos of myself attempting things like baking, stitching, makeup and housework will be posted to test how I would fare in the world of a 1950’s woman.
I hope you enjoy the blog and I can pick up a few skills and a greater appreciation of Grandma Dot along the way.
Hey, I might even be able to whip up a mean sponge cake to throw in that guys face!!!!!
Jenna xo
