If this was a man...

To invert the tables on the female gender I think it is sometimes useful to ask the question "If this were a man..." - and so in that spirit I note this intriguing headline, thinking it referred to some recent beauty queen. Carrie Prejean in 2009 came to mind.

But no - it refers to Leona Gage, age 71 who lied about her age (she was 18 not 21), marital status (married twice before) and her 2 progeny (both illegitimate) and was stripped of her Miss USA crown in 1957!

She had a difficult life in subsequent decades: Six failed marriages, lost custody of her five children, two of whom died before her, drug abuse and suicide attempts.

I suspect some would say diminish these bald-faced lies as less because "times were different then" - as they certainly were.  The implication that (just before the times of Kinsey) these would have been acceptable "white lies" by a teenager.   Recall that many full responsibilities of adulthood were somewhat more gradually obtained in those days - driving, smoking and drinking were frowned upon til after becoming a 21 year-old - although not fighting a war in a foreign land like Korea.