seen from Togo
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"The very next day, in biology class, I found the way . . . That's it! I'll be aggressive!" (Boy Meets Girl 8, 1951). Stella takes the "birds and the bees" analogy to heart, and becomes aggressive in her romantic pursuit of Mitch. Surprisingly for a romance comic, this doesn't backfire and Stella isn't branded a desperate, man-hungry predator. Possibly it's approved because of the "scientific" basis of her decision, but still unusual for the time.
"I was beginning to get nightmares about my new life as a housewife." (My Life: True Stories in Pictures 13, 1950). Helen dreams of dishes, a shirt, one sock, a clothespin, and . . . two children chasing her with bowling pins (or possibly hams) ?! Calling Carl Jung!
Gilda: “My legs were not merely a means to fame and fortune--but the very threads to which my entire personality was bound...What had I, other than my legs, worthy of attention?” Gary: “You thought that I fell in love with you because of your shapely legs? You have a small and petty mind! Instead of spending time and effort to develop yourself completely as a woman, you sacrifice everything for your stupid fixation!” (Love Memories 2, 1950).
And--IRONY--Gilda suffers an accident that leaves her with a small scar on her ankle, which ruins the aesthetic value of her legs. However, now freed from her obsession, this allows her to reconcile with Gary.
On the other hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDcTLaWJuo
Sarah: "I'm to be married! It's your turn next!" Eileen: "My turn . . . will it never come!" (Life Story 12, 1950). Oh noes, her "worst fears were realized": she's only one in her cohort of friends who isn't married. So sad. In my research on romance comics (book forthcoming, one hopes), it becomes clear one of the core tenets of this genre/medium is that marriage is the ultimate life-goal of women and (in most cases) failure to find true love and get married is the woman's fault. In this case, it's Eileen's obsessive desire to get married even if she hasn't yet found her true love; in other stories, it's because the woman is focused on a career, or has some other "flaw."
