Private Lectures on Perfect Men
Women and Children

by Professor O.S. Fowler, 1880

Natural language is the great tell-tale of all the faculties and head posture tells the most. The phrenological rule is that each Faculty in action throws the head into a line with itself - the intellectual in front canting the head forward, etc. Love is located in the back and lower part of the brain, and hence when in action, bends the head straight back on itself, as in kissing; while affectionate women generally carry their heads backwards and to one side.

Chest posture is most expressive of both one's amount of gender, and of its existing states. All those splendidly sexed always carry their shoulders well back and up; those poorly, crouching forward and downward, like elderly men. Soldiers in marching and many men in processions manifest it the more as they are the better sexed.

All women with a loved man always set their bust forward towards him. Beaux, this sign tells you infallibly whether and how much your girl loves you, and its absence that she does not; whilst those who habitually stoop, and carry their shoulders forward, lack this loving capacity. Those who observe how much better the same woman looks when erect than stooping, with shoulders set well backward than forward, would surely never be caught in this stooping posture. So....

Girls, cultivate erectness. And this posture is far the most healthy.

Breadth of chest beautifies by showing a large place for breasts; and this a great amount of original gender, though flat breasts indicate its present decline; while narrow chests with conical breasts show fair original gender in a good present state; yet an expansive chest with the breasts large at their base, though flat, is better; and their union as in Clyte, and the Greek Slave, is by far the best. Broad chested women wield much, narrow, little power over men.

Drooping shoulders beautify.

Because they are formed in part by long collar bones, which are longer relatively in woman than men. Of course the better sexed a given woman is the longer these bones; which thus give this beautifying droop to the shoulders.

Narrow chests with large panniers look horribly. A woman slim, spindling, narrow shouldered, pitching forward, short and shrunken from neck to pubis, with stomach and bowels shriveled, warping inwardly from head to feet, and projected anteriorly still farther by large panniers, augmented by the Grecian bend, and posteriorly enlarged still more by a shawl thrown over her back and gathered close in front by her hands, makes herself look a little meaner and more insignificant by this means than by any other.

Shawls are abominable; because they confine both hands across the chest to keep them on; produce a stooping posture; afford little chest warmth, where most is needed; and should be abolished; and required warmth secured by some close fitting garment.

Pelvic posture tells both the original gender, and all its existing states, by setting the lower part of the body the farther forward as it is the larger; and the converse. All vigorous females carry this region at least straight, or else projecting, as in Flora.

This presentation is most apparent in all waltzes, and gives them their chief attraction, both to participants and observers; and objections to them impinge on this very, point. Any woman's walk is inferior with it retiring, magnificent with it straight or slightly advanced, and vulgar with it excessive.

Hips rolled back accompany and cause this presentation. Nature must make some absolute provision for both woman's receiving and man's conveying the life germ; and does so in this public presentation, which both express and awakens "desire" in both; besides indicating superior parentage.

Maternity is provided against by the opposite posture of bringing the hips forward; which also generally indicates deficient love and parentage.

Both sexes in laughing proclaim passion in throwing this region forward; and sensual men thus evince extreme vulgarity.