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Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food
IN 1945, FORTUNE MAGAZINE named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman, right behind Eleanor Roosevelt, and dubbed Betty America's First Lady of Food. Not bad for a gal who never actually existed.
"Born" in 1921 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to proud corporate parents, Betty Crocker has grown, over eight decades, into one of the most successful branding campaigns the world has ever known. Now, at long last, she has her own biography. Finding Betty Crocker draws on six years of research plus an unprecedented look into the General Mills archives to reveal how a fictitious spokesperson was enthusiastically welcomed into kitchens and shopping carts across the nation.
The Washburn Crosby Company (one of the forerunners to General Mills) chose the cheery all-American "Betty" as a first name and paired it with Crocker, after William Crocker, a well-loved company director. Betty was to be the newest member of the Home Service Department, where she would be a "friend" to consumers in search of advice on baking -- and, in an unexpected twist, their personal lives.
Soon Betty Crocker had her own national radio show, which, during the Great Depression and World War II, broadcast money-saving recipes, rationing tips, and messages of hope. Over 700,000 women joined Betty's wartime Home Legion program, while more than one million women -- and men -- registered for the Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air during its twenty-seven-year run.
At the height of Betty Crocker's popularity in the 1940s, she received as many as four to five thousand letters daily, care of General Mills. When her first full-scale cookbook, Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, or "Big Red," as it is affectionately known, was released in 1950, first-year sales rivaled those of the Bible. Today, over two hundred products bear her name, along with thousands of recipe booklets and cookbooks, an interactive website, and a newspaper column.
What is it about Betty? In answering the question of why everyone was buying what she was selling, author Susan Marks offers an entertaining, charming, and utterly unique look -- through words and images -- at an American icon situated between profound symbolism and classic kitchen kitsch.
"Born" in 1921 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to proud corporate parents, Betty Crocker has grown, over eight decades, into one of the most successful branding campaigns the world has ever known. Now, at long last, she has her own biography. Finding Betty Crocker draws on six years of research plus an unprecedented look into the General Mills archives to reveal how a fictitious spokesperson was enthusiastically welcomed into kitchens and shopping carts across the nation.
The Washburn Crosby Company (one of the forerunners to General Mills) chose the cheery all-American "Betty" as a first name and paired it with Crocker, after William Crocker, a well-loved company director. Betty was to be the newest member of the Home Service Department, where she would be a "friend" to consumers in search of advice on baking -- and, in an unexpected twist, their personal lives.
Soon Betty Crocker had her own national radio show, which, during the Great Depression and World War II, broadcast money-saving recipes, rationing tips, and messages of hope. Over 700,000 women joined Betty's wartime Home Legion program, while more than one million women -- and men -- registered for the Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air during its twenty-seven-year run.
At the height of Betty Crocker's popularity in the 1940s, she received as many as four to five thousand letters daily, care of General Mills. When her first full-scale cookbook, Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, or "Big Red," as it is affectionately known, was released in 1950, first-year sales rivaled those of the Bible. Today, over two hundred products bear her name, along with thousands of recipe booklets and cookbooks, an interactive website, and a newspaper column.
What is it about Betty? In answering the question of why everyone was buying what she was selling, author Susan Marks offers an entertaining, charming, and utterly unique look -- through words and images -- at an American icon situated between profound symbolism and classic kitchen kitsch.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
February 9, 2010
It just could have been better.
While I enjoyed reading parts of this, I have to admit, I skimmed a lot. It was just so dry.
I wanted to feel something. And I just didn't.
The Betty Crocker cookbook was something I escaped into as a child. I would pour over the pictures and menu descriptions and dream about the day that I would entertain and put out such a gorgeous spread. My friends and I would laugh about how Betty suggested making braised celery as a side dish. Um. Yuck. The Christmas cookie pages were stuck together from use. I would read and reread the pages of hints. I knew, deep down, that Betty wasn't a real person. But, as a kid, I wanted her to be. I wanted to be her.
The idea of this book intrigued me, but I think I liked the illusion that Betty was and not the reality. The disappointment and realization that she was just a created marketing tool, I could have lived without. I know this shouldn't have been a surprise, but it felt a little bit like realizing as a child that your teacher had a life outside school.
I guess this rules out for me the Pillsbury Dough Boy tell all that just might hit the shelves.
While I enjoyed reading parts of this, I have to admit, I skimmed a lot. It was just so dry.
I wanted to feel something. And I just didn't.
The Betty Crocker cookbook was something I escaped into as a child. I would pour over the pictures and menu descriptions and dream about the day that I would entertain and put out such a gorgeous spread. My friends and I would laugh about how Betty suggested making braised celery as a side dish. Um. Yuck. The Christmas cookie pages were stuck together from use. I would read and reread the pages of hints. I knew, deep down, that Betty wasn't a real person. But, as a kid, I wanted her to be. I wanted to be her.
The idea of this book intrigued me, but I think I liked the illusion that Betty was and not the reality. The disappointment and realization that she was just a created marketing tool, I could have lived without. I know this shouldn't have been a surprise, but it felt a little bit like realizing as a child that your teacher had a life outside school.
I guess this rules out for me the Pillsbury Dough Boy tell all that just might hit the shelves.
Read
February 20, 2026A few years ago I discovered via Youtube that Betty Crocker is not a real person, and it's a random fact I love to tell people. Last year, I found this book in a Minnesotan lighthouse gift shop and was excited to dive into her story. Susan Marks does an excellent job tracing the history of Betty and the women behind her image.
Betty Crocker was "born" in the early 1920s after the Washburn Crosby Company (forerunner to General Mills and creator of Gold Medal Flour) hosted an advertising campaign where people could solve a scrambled jigsaw puzzle and return it by mail for a giveaway. The campaign was a huge success and received over 30,000 puzzles back along with hundreds of letters requesting advice on how to cook and bake. The department manager, Samuel Gale, normally answered the letters, but knew women would rather accept advice from a fellow woman rather than from him. His department had also never received such an insane volume of questions. Samuel and his supervisor took the problem to the company directors and this resulted in a new employee, Betty Crocker, "Betty" being chosen for its homey feel, and "Crocker" named after a recent director of the Washburn Crosby Company. Employees could now answer letters with one name and signature, and Betty kept just kept evolving into something more far-reaching and spectacular.
Many women contributed to the creation of Betty Crocker, but two especially had an important influence. One was Marjorie Child Husted, a graduate of the University of Minnesota and a Red Cross relief worker. Husted had worked with many underprivileged woman and wanted to help equip them to meet basic needs. She wrote hundreds of the scripts for Betty's radio broadcast, showing listeners practical and economic ways to make food. This helped many women, especially during WW2 and Depression era, where Betty shared ration-friendly recipes (relying heavily on General Mills products for the PERFECT easy bake). Women--and some men--flocked to her program and letters poured in, telling Betty how much she had changed their lives. Marjorie was the "face" of Betty Crocker when people visited General Mills and invested her life into Betty's persona for the next several decades until her retirement in 1950.
Another fascinating woman was Neysa McMein, an artist who created an official portrait of Betty for the fifteenth anniversary of her creation. McMein is best known for her work with McCalls patterns and also worked with other major publications like The Saturday Evening Post. She was "an urban socialite who didn't know how to cook, hosted a nightly salon in her studio across from Carnegie Hall, and kept a whiskey still in her bathroom." I adore how McMein brought Betty to life for her fans, yet her personal life was so divorced from Betty's innocent home-making image.
Betty Crocker was an interesting mix of being genuinely helpful to millions of housewives and also promoting unhealthy consumerism and the misogynistic tendencies of the 50s. She offered easy, helpful resources to women, giving them kitchen-tested recipes in a rapidly changing world. Women needed her voice. Her recipe boxes and illustrated cookbooks were innovative for their time, and editions of her "Big Red" cookbook are still being released every several years. Later in her history, General Mills created the Betty Crocker kitchens, various themed kitchens people could come and tour. Tours ended in the 80s, and that made me sad because I definitely would have visited.
On the darker side, Betty promoted problematic mindsets from her time. Her advertising struck me as very male-centered with an unhealthy relationship between love and food. While it's not inherently bad to please your partner, promoting the fear that someone will cheat on you because you are a bad cook is just...toxic. General Mills also used Betty's image to promote a high level of consumerism, especially with their strong emphasis on boxed mixes. This definitely helped women as they juggled working outside the home and taking care of their families, but personally, I feel there is a lot of magic in making baked goods from scratch, and we've lost some of those skillsets.
With all her flaws, Betty is a brilliant marketing idea that actually worked and helped a lot of people. If you want a fascinating look into a piece of American culinary history, check this out. It's a pretty fast read, filled with lots of illustrations and stories of how Betty changed the lives and kitchens of women everywhere.
Betty Crocker was "born" in the early 1920s after the Washburn Crosby Company (forerunner to General Mills and creator of Gold Medal Flour) hosted an advertising campaign where people could solve a scrambled jigsaw puzzle and return it by mail for a giveaway. The campaign was a huge success and received over 30,000 puzzles back along with hundreds of letters requesting advice on how to cook and bake. The department manager, Samuel Gale, normally answered the letters, but knew women would rather accept advice from a fellow woman rather than from him. His department had also never received such an insane volume of questions. Samuel and his supervisor took the problem to the company directors and this resulted in a new employee, Betty Crocker, "Betty" being chosen for its homey feel, and "Crocker" named after a recent director of the Washburn Crosby Company. Employees could now answer letters with one name and signature, and Betty kept just kept evolving into something more far-reaching and spectacular.
Many women contributed to the creation of Betty Crocker, but two especially had an important influence. One was Marjorie Child Husted, a graduate of the University of Minnesota and a Red Cross relief worker. Husted had worked with many underprivileged woman and wanted to help equip them to meet basic needs. She wrote hundreds of the scripts for Betty's radio broadcast, showing listeners practical and economic ways to make food. This helped many women, especially during WW2 and Depression era, where Betty shared ration-friendly recipes (relying heavily on General Mills products for the PERFECT easy bake). Women--and some men--flocked to her program and letters poured in, telling Betty how much she had changed their lives. Marjorie was the "face" of Betty Crocker when people visited General Mills and invested her life into Betty's persona for the next several decades until her retirement in 1950.
Another fascinating woman was Neysa McMein, an artist who created an official portrait of Betty for the fifteenth anniversary of her creation. McMein is best known for her work with McCalls patterns and also worked with other major publications like The Saturday Evening Post. She was "an urban socialite who didn't know how to cook, hosted a nightly salon in her studio across from Carnegie Hall, and kept a whiskey still in her bathroom." I adore how McMein brought Betty to life for her fans, yet her personal life was so divorced from Betty's innocent home-making image.
Betty Crocker was an interesting mix of being genuinely helpful to millions of housewives and also promoting unhealthy consumerism and the misogynistic tendencies of the 50s. She offered easy, helpful resources to women, giving them kitchen-tested recipes in a rapidly changing world. Women needed her voice. Her recipe boxes and illustrated cookbooks were innovative for their time, and editions of her "Big Red" cookbook are still being released every several years. Later in her history, General Mills created the Betty Crocker kitchens, various themed kitchens people could come and tour. Tours ended in the 80s, and that made me sad because I definitely would have visited.
On the darker side, Betty promoted problematic mindsets from her time. Her advertising struck me as very male-centered with an unhealthy relationship between love and food. While it's not inherently bad to please your partner, promoting the fear that someone will cheat on you because you are a bad cook is just...toxic. General Mills also used Betty's image to promote a high level of consumerism, especially with their strong emphasis on boxed mixes. This definitely helped women as they juggled working outside the home and taking care of their families, but personally, I feel there is a lot of magic in making baked goods from scratch, and we've lost some of those skillsets.
With all her flaws, Betty is a brilliant marketing idea that actually worked and helped a lot of people. If you want a fascinating look into a piece of American culinary history, check this out. It's a pretty fast read, filled with lots of illustrations and stories of how Betty changed the lives and kitchens of women everywhere.
November 8, 2020
Born out of an advertising campaign for Gold Medal flour, Betty Crocker and the women who portrayed her over the years became a staple in the American household. In the early days, women responding to the radio broadcasts received a wooden recipe box with recipes. When the great depression hit, Betty Crocker helped women economize. During the war years, she showed women how to make the most of their rations. I found myself wanting to ask my deceased mother about her memories of the earlier incarnations of Betty Crocker. While my mom always used Gold Medal flour, I wondered why many of her recipes called for Duncan Hines yellow cake mix rather than Betty Crocker. I remember asking her once why she used Duncan Hines instead of Betty Crocker, but she didn't really have a good answer. Duncan Hines came later than Betty Crocker though. It's still an interesting culinary and social history read, focusing mainly on my mother's era.
November 30, 2009
A truly eye-opening look at the making of an American icon. I think we tend today to brush off or mock such kitchen staples as Betty Crocker, but it was amazing to read about the impact a fictional character had on the morale and skills of several generations of cooks, bakers, and homemakers, for good or ill. In some ways, she promoted a Stepford wife-like lifestyle for her followers, yet with the introduction of Betty Crocker's one-step and quick-step baking mixes and other time-saving food mixes, she freed women from the stove.
One thing's for certain: We know who to blame for the obesity epidemic we're currently suffering. Dieticians, nutritionists, and psychologists are having to fight against decades of "Love is food" advertising, perpetrated for the most part by Betty Crocker and her ilk. The overwhelming number of pamphlets and cookbooks produced in the name of Betty Crocker, enticing and exhorting wives and mothers to show their love to their families with delicious food has been pervasive for the better part of a century. No wonder, then, that many people turn to food for comfort. After all, Betty Crocker says it's okay, and that's okay for me!
Okay, so I may be exaggerating...slightly. However, reading this book definitely makes one aware of how our culture became food-obsessed, and how the creation of a fictional spokeswoman for a once-small flour company became the heart and soul of America's kitchens.
One thing's for certain: We know who to blame for the obesity epidemic we're currently suffering. Dieticians, nutritionists, and psychologists are having to fight against decades of "Love is food" advertising, perpetrated for the most part by Betty Crocker and her ilk. The overwhelming number of pamphlets and cookbooks produced in the name of Betty Crocker, enticing and exhorting wives and mothers to show their love to their families with delicious food has been pervasive for the better part of a century. No wonder, then, that many people turn to food for comfort. After all, Betty Crocker says it's okay, and that's okay for me!
Okay, so I may be exaggerating...slightly. However, reading this book definitely makes one aware of how our culture became food-obsessed, and how the creation of a fictional spokeswoman for a once-small flour company became the heart and soul of America's kitchens.
July 22, 2009
This is really fantastic. And interesting. And AMAZING. I mean... Betty Crocker, as a campaign, is wildly successful- and it has shaped so many people's lives! It's incredible. To think that all those recipes, radio shows, Hollywood appearances and connections, and millions of letters were all oriented around one carefully managed, fictional woman.... aaaaah @____@
I also simply enjoyed looking at the Betty Crocker recipes, adverts, and pictures speckled throughout the book, as well as the letters that were sent from fans to Betty Crocker. Ooooh, you've gotta love that warm fuzzy domestic housewife aesthetic.
I also simply enjoyed looking at the Betty Crocker recipes, adverts, and pictures speckled throughout the book, as well as the letters that were sent from fans to Betty Crocker. Ooooh, you've gotta love that warm fuzzy domestic housewife aesthetic.
March 13, 2017
This was a very interesting study of the famous advertising symbol and how strong a support she was during both the Depression and WW II. An icon among advertising creations, Betty Crocker's inception and evolution is really interesting.
May 8, 2010
Very enjoyable look at an icon. This is a well writen look at the history behind one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
August 24, 2016
If you are a home cook, chef or just like food I think you'll find this book very enlightening and interesting. Learning about who Betty Crocker really was (I had always thought she was a real woman) and who was behind her creation was fascinating. The book even has a few appetising looking recipes at the beginning of the chapters. Reading it makes you want to go and do some baking, with or without a cake mix.
March 21, 2018
What an interesting book. I can't believe how much history I learned. Not just about the company but how Betty Crocker affected MN and the country. It was an easy read. Fun and the pictures and the recipes were wonderful. Yes I tried just about all of them We loved the quaking pie.
August 20, 2023
This book was full of great vintage advertisements, wisdom, nostalgia, and history. Betty saw homemakers through two world wars, a Great Depression, civil and equal rights movements and so much more. General Mills was one of the few companies that paid a dividend in the Great Depression.
Betty Crocker had a radio show which attracted new homemakers, blind persons, and bachelors all learning together. While giving cooking advice she also gave marital and housekeeping advice.
Her earliest recipes provided instructions for wood burning stoves with direction to put the biscuits in a quick oven, a very hot wood or coal stove, to bake.
The classic cookbook just about everyone has or has read was nicknamed "big red" by the Betty Crocker kitchens and was second in sales to the Bible. The book also discussed the Betty Crocker points our mothers saved and bought all sorts of housewares with. I wish they still had that catalog and program. It was fun to save the points from Betty Crocker products to apply towards ordering something.
Betty Crocker had a radio show which attracted new homemakers, blind persons, and bachelors all learning together. While giving cooking advice she also gave marital and housekeeping advice.
Her earliest recipes provided instructions for wood burning stoves with direction to put the biscuits in a quick oven, a very hot wood or coal stove, to bake.
The classic cookbook just about everyone has or has read was nicknamed "big red" by the Betty Crocker kitchens and was second in sales to the Bible. The book also discussed the Betty Crocker points our mothers saved and bought all sorts of housewares with. I wish they still had that catalog and program. It was fun to save the points from Betty Crocker products to apply towards ordering something.
March 6, 2022
I enjoyed this book, especially the early years. Well researched.
October 12, 2023
A tad boring, but a nice biography of a fictional character who’s had a huge impact on cooking.
August 27, 2019
Read this book about 10 years ago, before my Goodreads days. I remember REALLY liking it. For some reason, I even think I heard the author speak at our church. For anyone who loves cooking, history and more. Entertaining and informative.
September 21, 2007
I'm fascinated by Betty Crocker and everything she represents--in a kitchy sort of way. So I enjoyed this book, although it doesn't give much historical perspective. It cites letters from Betty Crocker fans over the years ("Do you know I think that if women were as eager to learn new ways of fixing new dishes or remodeling the old ones, as they are in new beauty aids and how to make themselves more lovely, they wouldn't have so much trouble in keeping their husbands in good humor") but doesn't seem aware of any irony; the whole book is strangely lacking in analysis of any kind. Still, there's a ton of information here and a lot of photos and reproduced ads. My favorite: "Kiss 'n' make up! Who knows who began it? Who cares... really? The think to do now is end it. And our gal is making a valiant try. Steak... thick, no respect for the budget steak. And French fries. And a splendiforous, enormous, I-love-you-truly magic of a cake--a cake that whispers two words ["I'm sorry"] so potent he'll leap right out of his chair. ... And you might want to bake it for the man you love...even if he didn't go away mad!"
July 29, 2008
I had no idea Betty Crocker was such an American icon. The first half of the book is the most interesting, with excerpts from letters and Betty's radio shows. Betty was a champion for homemakers, elevating homemaking from drudgery to a noble calling, especially in the 1930s and '40s.
It was disturbing, though, to see how she contributed to the pressure placed on women to be "perfect" homemakers, telling women that they'd risk losing their husbands if their cakes weren't light and moist. And this wasn't subtle undertones or anything--a section of one of her cookie cookbooks is called "Beau Catchers (and Husband-Keepers)". I'm so glad my marriage isn't based on my ability to bake.
It was also a little disturbing to read this alongside "In Defense of Food," which laments the migration from real food to the quick-and-easy mixes and processed foods Betty peddles.
By the time I got to the last chapters about the evolution of the Betty Crocker kitchens and official portraits, I was ready for the book to be over. It was interesting, but I felt like I'd already read it.
All in all, an interesting read.
It was disturbing, though, to see how she contributed to the pressure placed on women to be "perfect" homemakers, telling women that they'd risk losing their husbands if their cakes weren't light and moist. And this wasn't subtle undertones or anything--a section of one of her cookie cookbooks is called "Beau Catchers (and Husband-Keepers)". I'm so glad my marriage isn't based on my ability to bake.
It was also a little disturbing to read this alongside "In Defense of Food," which laments the migration from real food to the quick-and-easy mixes and processed foods Betty peddles.
By the time I got to the last chapters about the evolution of the Betty Crocker kitchens and official portraits, I was ready for the book to be over. It was interesting, but I felt like I'd already read it.
All in all, an interesting read.
December 5, 2012
Today, over two hundred products bear her name, along with thousands of recipe booklets and cookbooks, an interactive website, and a newspaper column. What is it about Betty? In answering the question of why everyone was buying what she was selling, author Susan Marks offers an entertaining, charming, and utterly unique look -- through words and images -- at an American icon situated between profound symbolism and classic kitchen kitsch.
Whatever it is about Betty, I missed it. In looking at the book initially, I thought it would be a fast, entertaining read, as it is broken down into easily digestible segments, there are lots of pictures and recipes. But the prose of this book is just downright dry. It reads like the master's thesis it is and, as such, should be appreciated more as an academic exercise than a fun work of popular nonfiction. I've no doubt there is good information in the book and that it probably has a lot to say about women's roles in a changing America, but is it engaging enough to hold the attention of a casual nonfiction reader? Not this one, I'm sorry to say.
Whatever it is about Betty, I missed it. In looking at the book initially, I thought it would be a fast, entertaining read, as it is broken down into easily digestible segments, there are lots of pictures and recipes. But the prose of this book is just downright dry. It reads like the master's thesis it is and, as such, should be appreciated more as an academic exercise than a fun work of popular nonfiction. I've no doubt there is good information in the book and that it probably has a lot to say about women's roles in a changing America, but is it engaging enough to hold the attention of a casual nonfiction reader? Not this one, I'm sorry to say.
January 15, 2015
This book counts as #7-Microhistory for the 2015 Eclectic Reader Challenge.
I read this book as part of a "History of Betty Crocker" class at LovelyLivingUniversity.com (free online classes for fun). I really enjoyed learning about this cultural icon and how she came to be. I was surprised to learn that she wasn't a real person. I am very impressed with the people who created her because she seems so real. I grew up with Betty Crocker like most Americans. Anyway, this book takes us through the creation and development of Betty Crocker and her empire. I never knew that there was a "Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air" on the radio in the 30's and 40's. I also didn't know that there were Betty Crocker television shows in the 50's. I loved how there were many pictures throughout the book. I liked seeing some of the advertisements and the evolution of Betty's portrait. It was interesting to see into Betty's kitchens where the product/recipe development and testing took place and how they have changed over the years. I also like that each chapter opened with a recipe. I will be adding this book to my cookbook collection. :-)
I read this book as part of a "History of Betty Crocker" class at LovelyLivingUniversity.com (free online classes for fun). I really enjoyed learning about this cultural icon and how she came to be. I was surprised to learn that she wasn't a real person. I am very impressed with the people who created her because she seems so real. I grew up with Betty Crocker like most Americans. Anyway, this book takes us through the creation and development of Betty Crocker and her empire. I never knew that there was a "Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air" on the radio in the 30's and 40's. I also didn't know that there were Betty Crocker television shows in the 50's. I loved how there were many pictures throughout the book. I liked seeing some of the advertisements and the evolution of Betty's portrait. It was interesting to see into Betty's kitchens where the product/recipe development and testing took place and how they have changed over the years. I also like that each chapter opened with a recipe. I will be adding this book to my cookbook collection. :-)
October 15, 2014
This a quick and light read. It was interesting to learn of the changes in 20th century American cooking and how the advertising department for Gold Medal Flour (later bought by General Mills) responded: the invention of Betty Crocker and the evolution of her products and personality through the century. Although the author didn't make this point in her book, there are many parallels between General Mill's popular (yet imaginary) spokesperson and today's food celebrities.
I was surprised that the author didn't make any attempt to analyze the intense gender issues that Betty Crocker contributed to. The Betty Crocker radio show, advertisements and cookbooks frequently stressed that good cooking was the way to keep your husband from leaving you. An actress playing Betty Crocker on the long-running radio show often read letters from listeners shaming women who were unskilled in cooking or uninterested in keeping a perfect house. It seems like the author should have included a discussion on feminism and conformity in American society.
I was surprised that the author didn't make any attempt to analyze the intense gender issues that Betty Crocker contributed to. The Betty Crocker radio show, advertisements and cookbooks frequently stressed that good cooking was the way to keep your husband from leaving you. An actress playing Betty Crocker on the long-running radio show often read letters from listeners shaming women who were unskilled in cooking or uninterested in keeping a perfect house. It seems like the author should have included a discussion on feminism and conformity in American society.
May 5, 2009
This book was incredibly interesting - popular activity always tells the tales history books cannot. So many intriguing aspects of this little gem; over the course of its pages, we see the mutually responsive faces of advertising and the American woman (and her role) over the past century.
I was more impressed by Betty's ever-clever ways to ease the burdens of women than I was distressed to learn of what at times seemed to be the constant bombarding of ads onto housewives. This was probably because instead of just promising ease and luxury (the cat-calls of today's ads), Betty Crocker's name sold much deserved pride to homemakers in their times of need. The really impressive part was that she later sold independence to those same housewives WITHOUT resorting to ugly feminist tactics (yes, I said it.)
I was more impressed by Betty's ever-clever ways to ease the burdens of women than I was distressed to learn of what at times seemed to be the constant bombarding of ads onto housewives. This was probably because instead of just promising ease and luxury (the cat-calls of today's ads), Betty Crocker's name sold much deserved pride to homemakers in their times of need. The really impressive part was that she later sold independence to those same housewives WITHOUT resorting to ugly feminist tactics (yes, I said it.)
April 24, 2008
When this corporate persona was first created in the 1920s, people believed she was a real person and wrote to her with baking questions, relationship problems, and even marriage proposals. Some were heartbroken when they toured the Betty Crocker Kitchens and were told she wasn't a real person. "Betty" wrote letters, had a radio show, hobnobbed with movie stars, and went through many makeovers. I was especially interested in how she gave advice on cheap meal planning during the Depression and cooking on rations during World War II. Plus I was a fan of all the reproductions of ephemera from the General Mills archives.
December 2, 2008
I had no idea that Betty Crocker had such a career- the radio years, cooking school, and homemaker's league were fascinating to read about- Marjorie Husted (Betty Crocker script writer and voice) could have been my mother!
This book did make me a little hungry. As much as I dislike Cake Mixes, my tummy was rumbling with the description of home-baked white bread made from Gold Medal flour. There are a few recipes in the book, too, which I would like to try
I also enjoyed the samples of advertising methods of long ago.
A fascinating read about home-cooking and home-making in America during the 20's-present.
This book did make me a little hungry. As much as I dislike Cake Mixes, my tummy was rumbling with the description of home-baked white bread made from Gold Medal flour. There are a few recipes in the book, too, which I would like to try
I also enjoyed the samples of advertising methods of long ago.
A fascinating read about home-cooking and home-making in America during the 20's-present.
June 14, 2017
The corporate life of Betty Crocker was surprisingly interesting to me. I collect vintage and antiquarian cookbooks and I own several from Betty Crocker, but when I picked this book up I just wasn't expecting it. The history of this fictitious culinary powerhouse is surprisingly interesting if you happen to have an interest in the business of food or the branding of organizations. I does read dryly so you have to be committed to the subject to get everything out of it. I liked it and it did enlighten me about the company's history, but by no means was it one of the books that I felt compelled to finish.
March 27, 2018
Betty Crocker stands as one, if not the most, successful advertising and public relation campaign in history. Indeed, at her height of popularity, Betty, who is not a real person, claimed the second most popular woman in America, only behind Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the book, I can see why. Letters after letters showed that American women identified themselves with Betty, even confided in her. And indeed, many people simply cannot stand the fact that Betty isn’t real, in the way of Santa Claus, if you like. Overall, I enjoy reading this book, and yearn for this kind of advertising which is quite rare in this world today.
May 27, 2013
This was a great book on the history of Betty Crocker up until the middle of the book when it felt like the author lost her train of thought. Prior to that point it was full of great information and old advertisements of Betty Crocker. My favorite part is the information on the war years, including the distributed brochures and posters detailing how to stretch your meats, sugars, etc. It was definitely a sign of the times. It makes me appreciate some of the recipes handed down from my Grandma to my Mom even more.
October 2, 2013
Pardon the puns, but this was delicious. Well written and well researched, this history of the advertising icon, Betty Crocker, was quite interesting and I ate it up. Lots of classic advertising in this book, lots of personal letters and recollections, which show that the author mined the General Mills archives to great effect! This is my kind of consumerist history - personal and engaging, touching on several greater historical threads (modernity, the rise of convenience products in the 20th century, the power of radio, etc.)
January 17, 2016
Betty Crocker was born out of the desperation of the department manager Samuel Gale. He was not comfortable signing his name on the thousands of correspondence letters that a 1921 advertising Contest generated.
I found this book to very interesting. Walks you through the development and the history of advertising used by Betty Crocker, a few older recipes and great pictures. I found it interesting on how Betty Crocker made a conscience decision to change the advertising as the world changed but found resistance and controversy.
I found this book to very interesting. Walks you through the development and the history of advertising used by Betty Crocker, a few older recipes and great pictures. I found it interesting on how Betty Crocker made a conscience decision to change the advertising as the world changed but found resistance and controversy.
July 5, 2018
This book is accessibly written but really short on any kind of analysis - either of the fabrication of Betty as marketing tool, nor of the use of marketing to emphasize and encourage very specific gender roles. Or even the impact of recipe marketing campaigns on how and what Americans eat, particularly the overadoption of processed food. It’s too bad - I think this could have been much more interesting than just a “this happened and then this happened and here’s a two page description of the General Mills test kitchens.”
July 27, 2014
Previous review, which still holds: LOVED IT! Fun and entertaining read, as well as being an insightful look into the role of women re: domesticity in the 20th century.
I just re-read this, after having read it for the first time years ago. Now that I am more well-read on women's history in the US in the 20th century, I have a better context for the evolution of the Betty Crocker brand and and how it evolved over time.
I just re-read this, after having read it for the first time years ago. Now that I am more well-read on women's history in the US in the 20th century, I have a better context for the evolution of the Betty Crocker brand and and how it evolved over time.
March 15, 2008
Through a bit of a quirk I have been reading a lot on the history of homemaking and home economics. This book was a really fascinating history - and not just for what it said about Betty Crocker (though that was great, too). How things have changed since our grandmothers and great-grandmothers were baking! This book is based on the MS thesis of the author, and has some very enjoyable research behind it.
September 10, 2009
Very interesting. It gave a lot of insight into the changes that our grandmothers went through. As technology entered the kitchen and the women left the home life changed. Betty Crocker wasn't a person, but an idea. The things done in Betty's name make me like the brand better and make me understand more where my grandma came from.
Highly enlightening, historically valuable, and on a side most history books completely ignore.
Highly enlightening, historically valuable, and on a side most history books completely ignore.
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