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September 2025
No. 31
Beauty and Wellness
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That Was Then
Movies and ads have always entertained the fantasy of a bookworm tossing aside her glasses and shaking out her hair (previously held in place with a pencil) to become a seductress. Hanes followed that script in the late 1960s to promote its new stockings, called Mystrece. It promises to transform the wearer physically—as if you dipped your legs in liquid chiffon, which is both delectable and head-scratching—and so fundamentally that she becomes “unforgettable, disarming, and a not-so-quiet sensation.” That’s one powerful pair of nylons. Is Mystrece pronounced “mistress” or “my stress”? Hanes may have wanted it both ways, with the mistress wearing just her stockings and a stack of books, impervious to the stress of runs and tears. As Melanie Griffith’s character said in Working Girl, “I have a head for business and a bod for sin.” —Linda Wells

September 5, 2025

Photo: Fair Use
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Issue No. 31
September 5, 2025
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Issue No. 31
September 5, 2025