Four women discuss their experiences with “home ec” class in middle school. One remembers her teacher’s name, and another has only recently overcome her fear of ovens. A third remembers making a pin cushion. Needless to say, none really felt like they came away with excellent practical knowledge.
So what’s the first thing you do in the morning? Brush your teeth? Make your bed? The first question is enough to throw anyone off. While most of us might make a beeline for the coffee pot nowadays, the 1954 quiz’s answer is to open your window.
At first, that might sound odd, but depending on the air conditioning status and the climate, it may not have been a bad idea to let the bed air out a bit in the morning. Still, you can probably guess that most women got this question incorrect.
A few more interesting questions and answers include advice to wash your eggs before using them and wash your hair regularly. The latter sounds like logical wisdom until they explain that regularly means just twice a month. Depending on someone’s ethnicity and hair texture, this may be feasible, but for many people, as one woman explains, waiting this long to wash would turn their heads into a greaseball.
One surprise answer describes the desired structure of the home in the 1950s. The question gives just two options as answers: patriarchy and democracy.
The women cringe a bit as they expect the answer to be the male-dominating perspective, then are pleasantly surprised at the response. The quiz explains that democracy in the home is more beneficial for the children so they can feel they have a voice.
The women don’t pass the quiz. Though this was a fun thing to take, they are pretty relieved that these aren’t hard and fast rules for today. One woman says that your home should feel like yours, and in your house, you can do what you like. That’s the beauty of it being your home.
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