Mention of the physical body

One of the most astonishing features of the Yellow Cards for current students was that admissions information often included mention of students’ physical bodies. Comments ranged from observing a student’s weight problem to saying that a “girl” was “pretty” or “awkward.” Although students would never have seen these comments, it was available to faculty and administrators. For this project, Sociology 224 students read the text on the yellow card and noted if any comments were made about a student’s body. This links to discussion about regulating and disciplining the college woman's body in the 1950s. See the small interview report of Group 4B from our April 30 meeting with the class of 1955.