Alice-Leone Moats - No Nice Girl Swears

O riginally published in 1933, No Nice Girl Swears was emblematic of a milestone moment in womens history and a turning point for social conventions. While debutante balls were still in full swing, Prohibition was on its last leg, and women were foraying into the workplace.

Reflecting back on No Nice Girl Swears fifty years after its original publication, Alice-Leone Moats, by then a world-traveling journalist, recounted the revolutionary nature of the book and the sensationalist headlines it received: Young Society Girl Writes a Handbook in the Spirit of Modern Jazz Age; Etiquette for Taxicab Lovemaking Lists Ten Methods of Attack; New Volume Tells Debs How to Handle Drunks. It was considered a defining book on the new etiquette, lauded and celebrated by modern, forward-thinking women like Moats, arguably the feminists of their time, and by reviewers, but also met with disdain from those who preferred the more prim and proper conventions of days gone by.

Indeed, in addition to advice on fashion and the best way of dressing for all occasions, Moats dared to publicly advise on real issues that were often simply brushed under the table. Through wit and wisdom, she wrote candidly, though with earnest sass and a bit of satire occasionally thrown in, on topics such as how to handle a date whos had too much to drink, how to avoid unwanted advances, and how to prevent a boss from taking liberties. While times have changed, this advice is certainly timeless. So, too, is advice on quality party throwing and personalized thank you notes, and her tips for style and grace, self-confidence, and putting your best foot forward.

If Moatss account of the circumstances surrounding the books original publication was told with brutal honesty, the book was originally created at the behest of publishing legendand husband to Amelia EarhartGeorge Palmer Putnam, who expected a more conservative guidebook. He proposed one ghost writer after another to Moats, until she claimed that shed decided only a man could do the job and that shed met one who had ghosted several best sellers, but would only assist under the condition that she would never share his name. Putnam agreed, and Moats pocketed the fee set for the ghost and wrote the book herself. On its completion, the book faced a range of challenges; it was dismissed by Putnam and passed between publishing houses as publishers and salespeople worried about the scandalous nature of the topics and advice featured inside. When at last it was released, it was a quick best seller.

Today, we live in a time when etiquette of any kindeven good mannersis under threat. The debates over whether chivalry is dead, or should even exist, seem hard to recall in a time when locker room talk is widely accepted. Perhaps were even living in a culture that is postpolitical correctness, where people believe weve come so far that we can reverse course and speak freely no matter how derogatoryor falseour statements may be. Certainty the internet, and particularly peoples ability to write anonymously on it, has shaken the practice of good etiquette and manners to its core.

Our rerelease of Alice-Leone Moats masterpiece, No Nice Girl Swears , comes at a time when looking at the history of etiquette presents an opportunity to consider where its come from and where society would like it to be. There is also something enthralling in taking a much-needed respite from the chaos of today and delving into the glamour of the society life of days gone by. If the release also encourages a return to elegant afternoon dresses, chic, light-colored sports clothes, all-summer getaways, champagne-infused dinner parties, or perhaps even engraved invitations, well, all the better.

Julia Abramoff

Publisher

Apollo Publishers