Blogs

The average woman will spend any amount of money, suffer any discomfort and believe any ad that promises to make her more beautiful. Leading today's trend are "shaper garments." Reducing garments are not new. In great grandma's day, a fashion-conscious woman clung to the bedpost while another adult planted a firm foot in her back and heaved on her corset strings as though a quarterhorse anchoring a maverick for branding. The goal was a figure nipped at the waist like a vinegar cruet ...

Beth Bartlett, a freelance writer by day, a humorist by night and a caffeinated procrastinator by mid-afternoon, won second place for humor in the 2013 National Society of Newspaper Columnists' competition (under 50,000 circulation) for her irreverent "Wisecrack Zodiac" column. She blogs at www.plaidearthworm.com. ...