Have you read the book? I haven't but don't, yah know...judge a book by its cover...Im a woman (34) who was sexually abused by another woman when I was still technically a kid (17 at first but then I turned 18 while it was still going on. She was my HS teacher. It took me 14 yrs. to start talking about)
I've had amazingly positive male role models especially considering my father was a terrible man, I have fine but non existent relationships with my three brothers and both of my grandfathers died before I was born. I have been so extremely lucky in other ways though. Don't get me wrong. I'm by no means wearing rose tinted glasses but just because a man writes a book about how to be a lady doesn't automatically make it not worth reading just as a book written by a woman for women could have terrible advice.
Again, I haven't read it so im not defending it but I am defending judging something simply off the reasons why you said she shouldn't take the advice.
And not everything that was considered admirable about women in the 50's is about subservience. Poise and grace are very important charactistics that have gone sooooo far to the wayside these days. Those have little to do with 'feminity'. A raging bull dyke can have poise and grace too.
Not to mention people take the 50s out of context big time. A war just ended. Almost 420,000 Americans died. I don't know what the male to female ratio was but no doubt very much by far the majority was male. People wanted 'normalcy'. Yes it was a step back for women's lib in many ways but we've been at war now in the Middle East for 18 yrs and we haven't even hit 8,000 U.S. military deaths. But almost 420,000 between 1941-45. I mean WOW! That's just the dead people. That doesn't even count the wounded - I mean - I understand your point. I'm a white woman and I've absolutely benefited from the women's lib movement and I'm about to benefit even more cause I'm starting a career in the trades but, just because a woman is a woman doesn't mean she's a GOOD PERSON who can give good advice.