Do bear in mind that this 1963 movie takes place back at the Turn of the Century, the early 1900's, when primitive automobiles were just beginning to replace the horse-drawn carriage.
At the time, women weren't even allowed to vote, virtually none of them worked outside the home, and the birth control pill was another 50 years away. At the time, a woman's entire future depended on landing a good man and keeping him. So back then, that was probably very practical advice.

I grew up in the 80s seeing the movie occasionally, so I cannot vouch for what someone thought of it in the 60s. However, whether it was the haircuts, cars, dresses, church, or music, I always took it to be a time piece. Whether it is a movie like this or Road to Avonlea, I watched these shows because they gave me a little window into the way things were (or at least the way we want to think they were).

I think most women have lost the art of being feminine. We should do what an honorable man wants. Why not? We would want him to do what we want, so why should we as women expect anything less from ourselves?

I was a huge Hayley Mills fan as a kid and I enjoyed this movie. This song was my favorite part of the film it was cute and light-hearted. The expectations of women were different in both the 1910's and the 1960's and women did the best they could with the opportunities they had. Judging women's behavior back then by the standards of today is no more fair than judging today's women by the standards they had back then. Today's women would not fare well by those standards.

I thought it was great. Women should stand by their men!

It was just a song to fill the needs of a movie musical.

I'm more attracted to girls who are more feminin, and my fiancee is definitely thatbut here's the thing, I thought the line in the song "hide your true self" was a bit much. I think that might be going a bit too far.

This movie was simply meant to represent a certain time period in American history. Things were different then in the way men and women interacted.
As for today, I don't think women have to worry too much about what men expect, or don't expect in women.
I used to work at a major amusement park in Orange County, CA and saw a lot of couples in my ten years at the park. I assure you that men are not nearly as picky as women think they are, and they don't have nearly the expectations of women that so many women think they do either. Of all the couples I saw, there were a lot more couples where the man was very good-looking and the woman quite average.
That kind of made me think that men are not nearly into looks as much as women think they are. In fact, I think it's women who put more pressure on women when it comes to looks. Not the men.

Not only was the movie made in the 60s, but it takes place in the 1910s. Back then women were supposed to be decorative and mind only the house, and hang on a man's every word. Men were "in charge." But the song is funny because it shows the girls knew how to play the game in an era when they were the losers: you basically coaxed the guy along by making him think he was the greatest thing ever. Once he was hooked into the relationship, the woman's strong personality could shine through. Look at the Pophams' marriage! I'm sure Mariah buttered up Osh until the day they were married; then the tables were turned.

Not half as bothered by this as by Rodgers and Hammerstein's "I Enjoy being a Girl". That song give's me the Willies because it is meant to be taken dead seriously. "Femininity" is meant to be tongue-in-cheek,and lightheartedly ironic. Thus, it is very funny and succeeds wonderfully.

A two word quote from Charlie Brown:
Good Grief!
"There are 10 kinds of people, some understand binary and some don't!"

Actually the movie takes place in the 1910's.
"I told you a million times not to talk to me when I'm doing my lashes"!

I liked this song. It fits the image the movie is trying to portray, in my opinion in any case. I never thought it was shocking, or sarcastic. This movie takes place in the 1920's, and the song "Feminity" really does describe how a young lady was expected to act at a formal function. You might want to remember that the advice was to someone who knew the boy she was "after" pretty well by that point. And as to the fact that the other girls don't follow their own advice is because the advice is just the first step in "catching a bue" just like flirting is today. I mean really, do you think all women really show their true selves when they're flirting at a dance or whatever? The song doesn't mention anything about never showing the real you, just about how to get they guys attention.

I grew up watching this movie, and I never once took this song literally. Can people not take a joke? Sure, the 60's might have been worse for women than it is today, but they were clearly poking fun at the way things WERE, in the early part of the century. Think about how wild Hayley was in some of her other movies - Disney was NOT trying to send a message of a stifled woman, at least by 1960's standards.

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correct, and people want reality from Disney :-).

I cannot believe anyone can be offended by a wonderful song like "Femininity". This is one of my favorite songs that Hayley Mills ever sang. There is nothing wrong with that song at all. They are basially singing about how to act to get their man while hiding the "real you". The movie world has changed so much that you expect men to be bashed and to always be stupid and wrong. I would love to see it go both ways, that's true equality. I love all the old Disney films because they don't try to preach politics like Hollywood does today.

To turn things on their head a little, would anyone be as shocked my a song telling men to be manly and look after their women? To put his coat down over a puddle, to act chivalrous, to tell her how beautiful she is and laugh at her jokes?
Quite frankly, I'd love a little chivalry!

Yes, I agree with you. That always struck a chord with me as well. I am glad you put that out there. I think the songwriters were trying to capture the "quaintness" of that particular era. But, as you can tell by most of the replies here, there currently exists a backlash/hostility toward anyone (women) who expresses ANY opinion or takes ANY sort of exception to something they consider a little offensive or skewed.
(Boy, there seems to be alot of angry people out there, judging by the harshness and abundancy of the attacks illicted by one person pointing out a stupid song from a forgotten movie. Peace, people!)
"I told you a million times not to talk to me when I'm doing my lashes"!

plus.. they are just teenage girls.. of course they are going to have the wrong idea of how to attract a boy.
orders,warnings,lunatic demands are regular occurances

that's how girls were treated in those days. that's how they thought they should act.
so if you know all that, then you should know that disney wouldn't have gotten any grief from anyone, therefor they allowed it. that's what they thought, that's what everyone thought. there really was no one who would bother them about it.

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But you don't have to date someone whose style you don't like. There's plenty of room for women whose real selves resemble what you're describing, and plenty of room for the rest. You should be able to get on fine without everybody being the sort that appeals to you.

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