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{{infobox book|<!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] -->
{{Underlinked|date=October 2016}}
| name = The Total Woman
{{italic title}}
| image = The Total Woman book.jpg
⚫
'''''The Total Woman''''' is a [[self-help book]] for [[married]] women by [[Marabel Morgan]] published in 1973. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the most successful non-fiction book in the USA in 1974.<ref>[http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA405070.html Publisher's Weekly]</ref> Overall, it sold more than ten million copies.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4651272&page=1 ABC News] on ''The Total Woman'': "One of the first books to address the issue was Marabel Morgan's "The Total Woman," which sold more than 10 million copies to women of all religious persuasions, making it the best-selling nonfiction book of 1974." (15 April 2008)</ref> Grounded in [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Christianity]], it taught that "''A Total Woman'' caters to her man's special quirks, whether it be in salads, sex or sports,"<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,947281,00.html Time magazine]</ref> and is perhaps best remembered for instructing wives to greet their man at the front door wearing sexy outfits; suggestions included "a cowgirl or a showgirl." "It's only when a woman surrenders her life to her husband, reveres and worships him and is willing to serve him, that she becomes really beautiful to him," Morgan wrote.
| caption = First edition
| author = [[Marabel Morgan]]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| subject = Marriage
| publisher = [[Baker Publishing Group#Revell|Revell]]
| pub_date = 1973
| media_type = Print (hardback and paperback)
| pages = 336
| isbn =
| oclc =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| genre = [[self-help]]
}}

⚫
'''''The Total Woman''''' is a [[self-help book]] for [[married]] women by [[Marabel Morgan]] published in 1973. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the most successful non-fiction book in the USA in 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20040322/26495-the-stakes-rise-for-chart-toppers.html|title=The Stakes Rise for Chart Toppers|first=Daisy|last=Maryles |website=PublishersWeekly.com}}</ref> Overall, it sold more than ten million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4651272&page=1|work=ABC News|title=Christians Promote Holy, Hot Sex in Marriage|first=Susan|last=Donaldson James|date=April 16, 2009|access-date=December 29, 2021|quote="One of the first books to address the issue was Marabel Morgan's "The Total Woman," which sold more than 10 million copies to women of all religious persuasions, making it the best-selling nonfiction book of 1974.}}</ref> Grounded in [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Christianity]], it taught that "''A Total Woman'' caters to her man's special quirks, whether it be in salads, sex or sports,"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,947281-2,00.html|title= The Sexes: The New Housewife Blues|magazine=Time|date=March 14, 1977|access-date=December 29, 2021}}</ref> and is perhaps best remembered for instructing wives to greet their man at the front door wearing sexy outfits; suggestions included "a cowgirl or a showgirl." "It's only when a woman surrenders her life to her husband, reveres and worships him and is willing to serve him, that she becomes really beautiful to him," Morgan wrote.


==Inspiration and development==
==Inspiration and development==
⚫
In 1970, Morgan founded Total Woman, Inc., a company that was concerned with [[marketing]] this idea. From then on, she gave seminars for Christian-oriented married women about how they should conduct themselves in deference towards their husbands. The seminars consisted of four two-hour sessions for $15. After several years, she had trained more than 100 instructors, who gave further courses in 28 states and [[Canada]]. By 1975, there were over 15,000 graduates, including the singer [[Anita Bryant]], the wives of [[Jack Nicklaus]] and [[Joe Frazier]], and 12 wives of players from the [[Miami Dolphins]] [[American football|football]] team.
In 1970, Morgan had a marriage crisis after about six years, when she became dissatisfied with herself and her [[husband]]. The failure of the marriage was possible. She realized for herself that she could not change her husband, which is why she had to change herself. Contrary to her own original will, she found the solution to her problems in absolute allegiance to her husband, which also included sexual extradition.


⚫
Morgan wrote her four basic ideas—ignoring the mistakes of the husband and focusing on his virtues, admiring him physically, appreciating him, and adapting to the idea that the husband was the king and his wife was the queen—down in a book, ''The Total Woman''. It was published in December 1973 by the small [[publishing house]] Fleming H. Revell Company, a subsidiary of the evangelically-oriented Baker Publishing Group. The first printing was 5,000 copies. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the best-selling non-fiction book in the USA in 1974. The [[paperback]] [[rights]] were sold for over $600,000.
⚫
In the same year, she founded Total Woman, Inc., a company that was concerned with [[marketing]] this idea. From then on, she gave seminars for Christian-oriented married women and how they should show themselves in courtesy towards their husbands. The seminars consisted of four two-hour sessions for 15 US dollars. After several years, she had trained more than 100 instructors, who gave further courses in 28 states and [[Canada]]. By 1975, there were already over 15,000 graduates, including the singer [[Anita Bryant]], the wives of [[Jack Nicklaus]] and [[Joe Frazier]], as well as 12 wives of players from the [[American football]] team [[Miami Dolphins]]. When their course ended, the football team was the first ever to have a season without suffering any defeat.


==In popular culture==
⚫
Morgan wrote her four basic ideas—ignoring the mistakes of the husband and focusing on his virtues, admiring him physically, appreciating him, and adapting to the idea that the husband was the king and his wife was the queen—down in the book, The Total Woman. It was published in December 1973 by the small [[publishing house]] Fleming H. Revell Company, which was a subsidiary of the evangelically oriented Baker Publishing Group. The start-up was 5000 copies. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the most successful non-fiction book in the USA in 1974. The [[paperback]] [[rights]] were sold for over 600,000 US dollars.
This book and its ideas were mentioned and satirized in the 1977 ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'' episode "Feminine Fulfillment" (season 5, episode 19).


==References==
==References==
Line 15: Line 36:
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Marabel_Morgan Marabel Morgan], ''ohiohistorycentral.org''
* [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Marabel_Morgan Marabel Morgan], ''ohiohistorycentral.org''
* [http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-09-11/features/8502070975_1_woman-hammock-room-table Totally Marabel], ''sun-sentinel.com''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140808064948/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-09-11/features/8502070975_1_woman-hammock-room-table Totally Marabel], ''sun-sentinel.com''
* [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20065122,00.html Marabel & Charlie Morgan: Being a Total Woman May Mean Love Under the Dinner Table], ''people.com''
* [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20065122,00.html Marabel & Charlie Morgan: Being a Total Woman May Mean Love Under the Dinner Table], ''people.com''
* [http://footenotes.net/Pages/Housewife.htm The New Housewife Blues], ''footenotes.net''
* [http://footenotes.net/Pages/Housewife.htm The New Housewife Blues], ''footenotes.net''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Total Woman, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Total Woman, The}}
[[Category:1973 books]]
[[Category:1973 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Self-help books]]
[[Category:Self-help books]]
[[Category:American non-fiction books]]
[[Category:American non-fiction books]]

Latest revision as of 18:57, 10 October 2024

The Total Woman
First edition
AuthorMarabel Morgan
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMarriage
Genreself-help
PublisherRevell
Publication date
1973
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages336

The Total Woman is a self-help book for married women by Marabel Morgan published in 1973. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the most successful non-fiction book in the USA in 1974.[1] Overall, it sold more than ten million copies.[2] Grounded in evangelical Christianity, it taught that "A Total Woman caters to her man's special quirks, whether it be in salads, sex or sports,"[3] and is perhaps best remembered for instructing wives to greet their man at the front door wearing sexy outfits; suggestions included "a cowgirl or a showgirl." "It's only when a woman surrenders her life to her husband, reveres and worships him and is willing to serve him, that she becomes really beautiful to him," Morgan wrote.

Inspiration and development

[edit]

In 1970, Morgan founded Total Woman, Inc., a company that was concerned with marketing this idea. From then on, she gave seminars for Christian-oriented married women about how they should conduct themselves in deference towards their husbands. The seminars consisted of four two-hour sessions for $15. After several years, she had trained more than 100 instructors, who gave further courses in 28 states and Canada. By 1975, there were over 15,000 graduates, including the singer Anita Bryant, the wives of Jack Nicklaus and Joe Frazier, and 12 wives of players from the Miami Dolphins football team.

Morgan wrote her four basic ideas—ignoring the mistakes of the husband and focusing on his virtues, admiring him physically, appreciating him, and adapting to the idea that the husband was the king and his wife was the queen—down in a book, The Total Woman. It was published in December 1973 by the small publishing house Fleming H. Revell Company, a subsidiary of the evangelically-oriented Baker Publishing Group. The first printing was 5,000 copies. The book sold over 500,000 copies within the first year, making it the best-selling non-fiction book in the USA in 1974. The paperback rights were sold for over $600,000.

[edit]

This book and its ideas were mentioned and satirized in the 1977 Maude episode "Feminine Fulfillment" (season 5, episode 19).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Maryles, Daisy. "The Stakes Rise for Chart Toppers". PublishersWeekly.com.
  2. ^ Donaldson James, Susan (April 16, 2009). "Christians Promote Holy, Hot Sex in Marriage". ABC News. Retrieved December 29, 2021. "One of the first books to address the issue was Marabel Morgan's "The Total Woman," which sold more than 10 million copies to women of all religious persuasions, making it the best-selling nonfiction book of 1974.
  3. ^ "The Sexes: The New Housewife Blues". Time. March 14, 1977. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
[edit]
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