Our Girls

A practical manual advising young women on bodily health, dress, and everyday conduct. It documents the physical harms of prevailing fashions—tight lacing, narrow heels, heavy padding, false hair, and cosmetic preparations—and recommends simpler, safer choices such as broad-soled shoes, sensible supports for stockings, regular walking, baths, sunshine, and systematic gymnastics. The text also addresses character and occupation, urging against idleness, suggesting many suitable employments, and offering guidance on study, music, dancing, and theatre attendance. Practical tips on diet, hygiene, and the treatment of common ailments are woven with straightforward social counsel about courtship and household readiness.