Page 55

2006-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Having oft-quoted from TTW during dinner parties (easy party trick: just open any page and being reading as straight-faced as you absolutely can), I admit that I felt I knew the book and its message well enough. But, having begun TTWB (The Total Woman Blog), it seemed only fair to read the book in it's entirety.

As expected, I was in complete outrage within the first few pages (posts to come later), but then, strangely, I began to think that perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps ole' Marabel DID have a few worthwhile tricks up her sleeve. And, given the amount of influence she continues to have (just google her), and the particular groups that have an affinity for her, I became afraid.

Heck--I am a wife and mother, slightly frazzled and forgetful, and my husband and I do occasionally bicker and, indeed, a few scenarios that she described could have happened in my home. Maybe Marabel could help. I even had post-its on pages 50 and 51 with "true.." written on them (I really am trying to be fair to MM). I was being pulled in...

But then, on page 55, Marabel tells readers of her worries that her husband, Charlie, an avid amateur stock trader, would gamble away their savings. This worry was a source of conflict in her marriage. One day, their broker, a family friend, calls her on the phone advises her "Let your husband do what he wants in the market. Don't ever tell him what to do with his money. You stay out of it and take care of the kitchen."

At first, her response is anger and then (are you ready???) she sees that she "wasn't accepting Charlie's role as provider, nor was I submitting to his family leadership." She goes on to tell that with changing her attitude about this and submitting to his leadership, they are happier for it.

At page 55, Marabel just downright pissed me off.

I'm not sure I would have cared, I probably would have laughed, had I not recently been researching her on the internet. The fact is: The Total Woman is still hugely influential, indeed, it acts as a certain manifesto for various religions, organizations or individuals that use it along with other such tomes (The Submissive Wife, for example) to support a distinct disregard for the intellect, will and freedom of women.

Google her, read reviews on Amazon and BE AFRAID!

One more thing, if you google "The Total Woman Marabel Morgan", be warned that the first website (takeninhand), though innocuous seeming, is actually a domination/submissive site with a very dissappointed review of TTW on it. It reads: "I really wanted to like it, but it didn't live up to my expectations...The author does not seem to know what Laura Doyle knows, namely, that sometimes it is not the husband who feels sexually deprived, as seems to be assumed in this book, but the wife." To this article a gentleman replied, "It wouldn't hurt you women to take an interest in a Man's interests. If you ask me, your all a bunch of man-hating feminists that wouldn't know how to look after a Man if youre life depended on it."

Chicago Sun Times on TTW

2006-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

"...70's super-Christian Marabel Morgan's book The Total Woman, which convinced a generation of church ladies that happy marriages were made of subservient wives, good cookin', slim thighs and hot sex, was a bestseller. (Fannie Flagg got her idea to wrap Kathy Bates' "Fried Green Tomatoes" character, a k a Tawanda, in Saran Wrap and greet her husband at the front door from Morgan). Being a modern Christian woman can be pretty friggin' stressful."
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI RELIGION WRITER for the Chicago Sun Times

Well...at least my cookin's good.

Learning Curve...

2006-01-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

Really...this blog thing is very confusing...still in learning process...help me....

Did you know that TTW was the best non-fiction seller of 1974 and the MM made the cover of Time?

The Total Woman Blog welcomes you...

2006-01-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Why make witty jokes about The Total Woman (by Marabel Morgan) around the dinner table when you can write them downfor all to read?