“When he came home I was well groomed; fragrant, feminine. He never saw a laundry bag, a dust cloth or a hair curler. I hope he never knew that such things existed” – Joan Crawford
Goodness!
So many movie stars and personalities are widely spoken of; the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marylin Monroe… But never before had I ever heard of a Joan Crawford- that is until I came across the name by chance, literally a few days ago. I’d read some of her quotes and was instantly drawn to this seemingly stylish and intelligent sounding woman. I was curious and I needed to know more about her. To my pleasant surprise I found that she’d written an autobiography, and narrated it herself even.
It seemed she lived a colourful life, having married four times to famous men; one business man and three actors. In her autobiography, she describes these men as “very well educated, cultivated with a love of good literature, good music- all the fine arts”. She didn’t have much of a formal education and had to put in the work to become well read instead. And she read every book or author mentioned, whatever she could get her hands on she would. oftentimes she studied the dictionary, making sure to use all the intriguing words she came across whenever she spoke.
In her book, she talks about almost everything from style, to love and work ethic; the power of being a woman; gracious living; about women who can afford to be homemakers and those who have careers; she talks about having to take care of the home, raising children, pleasing one’s husbands…
One could almost think she was a bit extreme and somewhat of a perfectionist (for lack of a better word)
On spending alone time with your husband at the end of every day;
There should always be a precious time together at the end of the working day. Turn off the phone, ignore the door, pour a glass of wine or fruit juice. Shed the world and learn all about each other in your own romantic oasis
As women we sometimes tend to let ourselves go, especially after getting married… But the truth is you need to keep yourself attractive no matter what stage of life you’re in; and you need to do this all for you. For your own well being, confidence and sense of worth- don’t stop working on yourself, don’t stop learning. Bonus points- it’ll keep your husband or boyfriend on his toes as he has an amazing goddess of a woman by his side. Don’t you let him ever forget it. Joan says;
Surprise him. Make him happy. Keep him interested and intrigued by you. You have to be attractive and sexy to him. If every woman could walk into her husband’s office and see how many beautiful women pass his desk everyday it would give her something to think about.
To never stop flirting as a woman- even after you’ve married
Females are born flirts… but once girls get themselves married they forget the romance, and that’s when the flirting should really begin- if you want to keep your husband that is. A lot of other women are flirting with him and flattering him you can depend on that.
On self development she said;
“… but we can improve on what we’ve got… I’m told by someone who’s known me practically from the beginning that I’m a constant source of surprise, that people are never sure of what I’m going to do next, what I’m going to look like… “
If a woman starts taking herself for granted or taking her husband for granted she’s asking for trouble. She must take a sharp look at herself and if necessary edit herself. she should sit down and inspect the contents of her head, what she’s got to talk about tonight. Did she read an interesting article? Go to a good lecture? Get the background on an important news story or glance through the business pages to see how her husband’s industry is doing?
“I don’t think education should ever stop, either for a man or for a woman. When learning stops vegetation sets in”
“A wife who let’s herself deteriorate into a concubine completely dependent on her husband for her sense of life not only makes him feel guilty, she becomes the world’s worst bore. An educated woman means an educated family. She sparks the children because she has a range of interests and a curious mind that wants to go on learning”
On giving your best
“when you give someone something of your own give the best”
On style; “The intelligent woman adapts herself to fashion but never to fad. She knows what is best for her and her way of life and sticks to it. She raises and lowers her hemline with discretion but she goes on with her timeless dresses made with the basic lines and fabrics that flatter her, define her lifestyle. She’s secure and so she can be an elegant individual“
Joan Crawford was evidently intentional about every area of her life, never leaving anything to chance. She was an accomplished Hollywood star yet still had an appetite for learning- as a matter of fact she never stopped. She designed a life she wanted for herself and wouldn’t let society dictate how a woman of her caliber/ in her field of work aught to live and be.
I discovered that there ever was a Joan Crawford by chance- she wasn’t sold (to me) like so many other personalities have been. With four husbands, I imagine her life must have been quite scandalous, passionate and no doubt she made countless headlines in the newspapers… And no doubt she spoke her mind.
Sounds to me like she was a woman with a good head on her shoulders. From listening to her speak, and all the things she said- I think I like this Joan Crawford character…
Cheers to a life well-lived,
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