Screenland (Nov 1930-Apr 1931)

62 SCREENLAND PUTTING your best FOOT FORWARD The feet may be trained in the way they should go if care is taken for their beaut}^ By Anne V an Alstyne Joan Crawford puts her best toot forward in this smart but classically simple model in footwear designed to complete the new silhouette. Suitable for teaing and dancing. B EAUTY is only skin deep," our mothers taught us when we were very young. "Beauty is as deep as the mind and heart and consciousness of the one who desires it," we were told as we grew older. A noble sentiment, and true, we suppose. But have you, I want to know, ever been crippled by weary, suffering feet, and at such times did you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and note the ugly lines in your face and its haggard expression? If so, you will agree with me when I say that beauty is not skin deep but foot deep ! Ask any good beauty specialist and she will tell you frankly that one of the reasons her business grows and flourishes is because women, in their quest for beauty, neglect to give their feet proper attention. In the matter of wrinkle production, wrong posture, faulty shoes and attendant foot troubles have time and worry backed right off the boards. The feet should have as definite a course of care as the hands. Feet can not be beautiful, nor can they give good service with a minimum of wear and tear on nerve and muscle, if they are not given care and consideration. The feet are marvelously built, and if well treated will render marvelous service. There are twenty-six bones in the foot, connected by more than four times as many muscles and nerves. There are four arches in the feet ; the long arch at the inside of the foot, from heel to great toe; the front arch extending across the ball of the foot; the third arch at the outside of the foot from the heel to the base of the small toe; and the fourth arch across the middle of the foot under the instep. The perfect foot is lovely in color, texture and line. It lies on the floor with the toes free from each other, pointing straight ahead, the inner arch lifting itself gracefully from any contact with the floor, heel lightly touching the floor, and — this is important — the added weight of the body on the outer arch. Almost everything the matter with the feet, foot specialists tell us, comes from swinging the weight to the inner arch. Through misuse of the feet, lack of exercise of the leg muscles, incorrect standing and walking, or the wearing of badly designed, ill-fitting shoes, the arches may begin to sag and the bones slip out of place. Then distress is bound to follow. If the distress were limited to the feet it would be bad enough; but it also effects the back and causes pain at the back of the neck because the whole body is out of line. Stubborn cases of headache, backache, continued fatigue, unruly nerves and pain often mistaken for neuritis or rheumatism — each may have its origin in the feet. Nothing is so upsetting to nerves ; nothing can cause such excruciating misery, and nothing is so devastating to beauty as hurting feet. Just as a high building rests upon its foundation, your body rests upon your feet. Your feet represent the foundation of health. If a stone slips out of place in the foundation of the building, a crack may appear in the topmost ceiling. If your feet become flattened and weakened you are likely to feel the effects clear to the top of your head. How important then, to health and beauty, is a sound support. The majority of foot troubles come from an-improper use of the feet in standing or walking. Sometimes an