I’ve started collecting some of these old Charm magazines from the 1940s. It’s hard to find much information about Charm, but I read somewhere that it developed out of one of the many film magazines of the 1930s until it was eventually incorporated by Glamour (in the 50s maybe?). Starting in the 40s, Charm dedicated itself to the “BG,” which stood for Business Girl.

This magazine is fascinating, but I am especially interested in the wartime issues. It’s an incredible glimpse into American women’s culture at that time.

It’s pretty clear from reading material like this how deeply the sacrifices of the war were felt, and also how different our culture has become. For example, when the recent economic crisis hit, magazines today seemed to be really more of the same: selling products to readers through ads and editorials, albeit with a slight “budget” spin. They seemed to me to be totally out of touch with their audience, desperate to continue painting a picture of aspirational affluence, since that’s long been their bread and butter. I think they’ve suffered because of it.

A look at Charm, on the other hand, introduces you to an editor who survived the bombing of Pearl Harbour while pregnant and advises women on how to keep their chins up while they go through pregnancy alone. There are projects on embellishing and making little things to save money. There is acknowledgment that the Christmas Carols this year “may sound a little thin, what with the missing bassos and baritones.” There is an article that explains inflation, war bonds, and ceiling prices. My favorite is the advice against hoarding, because the last sentence is so funny:

“Never forget we are in this war together and must share and sacrifice alike. You will be ashamed to wear silk stockings when no one else has any, or ride for pleasure when your neighbors must walk to work. And I hope if any of your neighbors hoard stockings, gas or anything else, you will make them feel as uncomfortable as possible.”

Even the fiction (including a story by one of my favorite writers, Shirley Jackson’s The Gift) mostly revolve around the war. The magazine are totally suffused in the difficult experiences of the era, with little suggestions to help women retain their glamour, dignity, and spirit in spite of it all. If only today’s magazines were this in touch.

Needless to say, the women pictured in these magazines are stunning. This is perhaps my favorite fashion era. Cuts were simple and beautiful and flattering, adornment was minimal, hair and makeup sleek and simple. Yet there’s a sex appeal to it. Glamour still mattered.

(I love her hair)

And one thing I’m glad has changed. This is an ad for a product called Moth Ded that you put on your clothes to protect from moths. It contains 5% DDT. Yikes.