The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free

Having happily finished this book, I now sit thinking "What in the world is this book about?" Yes, parts of it are about the famed Barbizon Hotel for Women in New York City (corner of Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street) and its history from completion in 1928 until its conversion to luxury condos in 1981. But it's also about a deep dive into the now-defunct Mademoiselle Magazine, its powerful editor Betsy Talbot Blackwell, and the role the publication played in setting standards for young women back in the 1950s and 1960s. Along with the famous names associated with the magazine's guest editor (GEs) contest - with winners like Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Ali McGraw. (If you're confused, the connection is that the guest editors were all housed at the Barbizon for their month-long guest editorship.) The book is also about shifting societal expectations for women. From the 1950s, when even those with brains and expensive educations (like the Mademoiselle GEs) were supposed to prioritize marriage and children over any professional goals. To the 1970s, after the publication of Plath's THE BELL JAR and Betty Friedan's THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE, when a fully fledged feminist movement was remaking the role of women in the workplace. Then there are also random anecdotes about other Barbizon tenants. Like Grace Kelly, Liza Minelli, and Philicia Rashad. Or the small group of older women who refused to leave the hotel during its multiple transformations, using the city's rent-control laws to insure they continued to live in the Barbizon at affordable rates, despite its multiple transformations. In short, the book is all over the place, loosely, and I mean VERY loosely, tied together by the Barbizon. I found some parts, especially about the building's history and social expectations for women, quite interesting. Other parts downright dull. It's an interesting slice of American history. Overall, I think it appeals most to people who are interested in learning more about how limited ambitious women were in the mid 20th century America.

historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, nonfiction, celebrities, 20th-century***** This NYC institution housed many of the women who loomed large in the women's movement as well as prominent editors, film and other celebrities, and even an important secretarial school from 1927 until reformatted into apartments for the wealthy. It was a residential hotel like no other and was complete with a dry cleaner, hairdresser, squash courts swimming pool, fashion designs, library, soundproof rooms for musicians and roof gardens in an era when these was a considered to be male amenities. At first some sought to castigate the women and the rules in which there was no male oversight, but it was more like protection from men than by men and it played its own part in laying the path for women's lib. Did you know that during the depression it was illegal for women to have jobs? A wonderful tribute to change and an excellent read. I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. Thank you!