“Before there was Sex and the City there was…Sex and the Single Girl.”

Clever.  Hilarious.  Unapologetically honest.  The makings of a great friend are actually qualities found in Helen Gurley Brown’s infamous book Sex and the Single Girl.  The quintessential guide to navigating single hood, this book by Cosmopolitan’s Editor in Chief first hit the mainstream in 1962 when being a single girl was actually considered taboo.  After all, any decent, self respecting girl should be married, and the sooner the better!  

I read this book years ago, after becoming a fan of Sex and the City on HBO.  A sampling of some of the timeless mantras Ms. Brown wrote-

Regarding the Wardrobe:

“The question is: Is your image really coming through?  If your clothes aren’t saying ‘Wow!’ it’s probably the lack of taste.  Not money…taste!”  (Amen to that!)

“What is this highly touted little item called good taste and where do you get it?  I think good taste is what’s beautiful…Everybody can’t have the same taste, of course, but it’s amazing how many people can agree on someone who has it.”

Regarding the Apartment:

“A more impressive way to impress is with what’s inside- you and the furniture!  Dazzled by you both, nobody will remember they came through a slum to get to you.”

Regarding Men:

“I think marriage is insurance for the worst years of your life.  During your best years you don’t need a husband.  You do need a man of course every step of the way, and they are often cheaper emotionally and a lot more fun by the dozen.”

Scandalous!  Especially for 1962.  While this book has been around the block, it’s lost none of its sharp wit or youthful boldness and is still laugh out loud funny.  Exuberant and effervescent, Sex and the Single Girl is still the ultimate guide for being single and fabulous.

Fashionably Yours,

Nik 

Original Book Cover