Judge, 1932-05-14 · page 9 of 36
Judge — May 14, 1932 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Judging the Sports" (Judge Magazine, 1932) This satirical article celebrates the modern 1932 sportswoman, contrasting her with outdated stereotypes. The author mocks earlier critics who predicted that "corsetless" women playing golf and tennis would harm the nation's birthrate—fears that have proven baseless. The piece celebrates athletic women's fashion and appearance: female squash players in elegant pleated shorts, swimmers like diving champion Georgia Coleman and Eleanor Holm, and polo players in Santa Barbara. The author names real sports figures (Eileen Bennett Whittingstall, Helene Madison, Elizabeth Robinson) as examples of charming female athletes. The satire targets old-fashioned moralists who opposed women's athletic participation and revealing sportswear. By praising both women's athletic ability and their physical attractiveness, the article ironically validates the very "corsetless fads" critics had condemned, suggesting modernity has vindicated women's liberation through sports.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- JUDGING se fe) Ss = N" xo very long ago Mr. Oliver LaFarge wrote an exc nt book Indians — called tughing Boy,” and dedicated his tome in this manner: “To the only good looking squaw IT ever saw.” about I therefore take a leaf from Mons. LaFarye’s Prize noteboc dedicate this piece to all the yood looking numbers who clutter up our beaches, pools, volf courses, and ten- nis courts to such an eye filling extent now- aday Our 1932 model sportswoman is a pretty nifty article. The preconceived no- tions of big calved, yalumphing, — Brun- hilds are as out of date as Grandma's croquet costume and the bicycle built for two. Slim, svelte, and nattily attired — in Whatever uniform the sport of the moment dem. nds the present outdoorsy gals c ridicule at the ritics who prophesied ome fifteen years ago JUDGE TILE } SPORTS WSF that the corsetless fads of yolf and tennis would spell ruin to the coun- try’s birthrate. I happened to drop in to see the finals of women's squash rackets tourney the other day. Most of the contestants wore nifty little nnel shorts, pleated in the impeccable Borotra manner, with short sleeved shirts and cute little white silk sox It was sheer joy to watch them flit around the court in a fashion rem- iniscent of Albertina Rasch and her cohorts. — They d othe blinding: speed of the male squash expert but oh, those dimpled knees! Swimminy, too, has more than its fair share of IT. y virtue of the omnipresent newsreel we are kept in constant touch with most of our bet- ter known N. Lovely Georgia Coleman, the high diving champ with her two and a half front yaynors, is practically a weekly release from the i J 26.2 A Hollywood While the shot Chamber of Commerce. s of elfinlike Eleanor Holm, who recently turned down a Ziexfield cont pensate in ma t (no foolin’), com- ways for the all too seldom appearances of Micky Mow Ther stunning te male polo pl 3 Barbara, ride and pl. like young soddesses. And did you ever get a close up of Eileen Bennett Whittingstall, Helene Madison or Elizabeth Robinson? There is a well nigh endless list of female sport experts whose charm and pulchri- tude isn’t a bit hard to take. I note with pleasure perfectly m of fe- that recently — the have been — several moves to change the attire of women ten- nis players. Members of the more radical school seem to be fav- oring shorts in lieu of the balloony — skirts and rustling bloomers of the Lenglen- (Page 29, please) comicbooks.com