FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
Fascinating Womanhood for the Timeless Woman (or ‘Timeless,’ as it is often called) is the authorized sequel to the original book that started the movement. This book expands the message to a broader and deeper scope and was written by Dixie Andelin Forsyth, our founder’s eldest daughter. ‘Timeless’ is the present cornerstone book of our organization, and this is where we recommend you start.
There are a number of other books in the Fascinating Womanhood library, but the main book that started the movement in 1963 is called Fascinating Womanhood. The most recent edition is called Fascinating Womanhood Vintage Edition (often called ‘Vintage’). This version reflects the most modern perspective of the movement and is currently available for sale through our publishing operation for a limited time in hardback format only. You can also find Vintage on Amazon.com.
We also offer updated versions of the classic works by Helen Andelin, including: Fascinating Girl Vintage Edition, and All About Raising Children Vintage Edition.
Additionally, we offer self-study workbooks that support Timeless and Vintage, and we will soon offer The Love Library, a collection of relationship diaries with special prompts that you fill out yourself to help enrich your relationship.
The original Fascinating Womanhood contains dated material that we have updated in the Vintage Edition–currently available at our website and on Amazon.com. We will not authorize the reprinting of the classic edition after 2019 and we no longer recommend it for study because we consider it outdated.
We teach that service can be an expression of love, but there is nothing in Fascinating Womanhood teachings that suggests women are less important than the men in their lives. We actually teach that civilization starts with women, and that we are the linchpin of everything that is good that comes out of culture and society. Fascinating Womanhood teaches that femininity, which mostly relies on influence, is at least as great as masculinity, which has more to do with force.
It’s impossible to be completely neutral in today’s political world. Fascinating Womanhood does not endorse any particular political party or ideology, but we do have values and they can sometimes place us in a partisan position in some people’s eyes. We support notions of individual liberty and autonomy, while admitting they must be balanced against the requirements of duty and the needs of community. Chiefly, we are about strengthening family and nurturing mankind.
Fascinating Womanhood started as a secular women’s movement. After some time, supporters asked us to express our views in Christian terms and this was done for a time so it could be taught in churches–Bible verses were put in the first printing of the book in 1963. Helen Andelin realized her original book needed to return to its more inclusive roots after a trip to Japan to address local followers; the local publishers asked her for revisions to make it more relatable to people of other faiths. From that point, she began planning for such revisions throughout the movement and these were finally accomplished in 2017. The secular position of Fascinating Womanhood is not a post-Helen Andelin trend, as some critics have suggested. It originated with her and it was her final wish that we return to our origins to reach a broader audience. Fascinating Womanhood has grown in to a global organization that embraces all cultures and faiths, and the Vintage version of the book reflects this fact. We do not espouse a particular religion, though we do sometimes discuss our broader faith in a higher power and we welcome sincere expressions of spirituality from everyone.
Certainly, though our expertise is in the area of male-female heterosexual relationships. Fascinating Womanhood has over 50 years of experience saving countless relationships and marriages and a global community of female support for women who desire the best relationships they can have with the men in their lives. We have a lot to say about individual empowerment, fulfillment, and happiness, and some of what we say may not seem inclusive to some lifestyles. Our organization does not intend anything in our message to exclude, belittle, or trivialize what is outside our experience. We welcome all who are respectful and wish to add positively to our community. We do not intend our forums to be open to men in general, though we may admit some men on a case basis, particularly web administrators, marketers, and other members of our organization who support our operations.
The philosophies and teachings of Fascinating Womanhood are and have always been determined by women. Our executive committe is willing to learn from experts in relevant fields and has benefited by doing so in the past; we will continue to do so. Dixie Andelin Forsyth, our President, is married to a licensed neuropsychologist and has benefited from his instruction generally. But Fascinating Womanhood teachings come from Helen B. Andelin, Dixie Andelin Forsyth, and the Fascinating Womanhood Committee, and there is no one who can supersede this board. Business managers have assisted Fascinating Womanhood in the past and, in the present day, several executive directors are males, but they have very little to do with determination of the teachings and philosophies of the movement. Men are often consulted regarding the subject of understanding men, as they should be, and so their input can be invaluable in certain circumstances. In some ways, it may be said that Fascinating Womanhood exists as much for the betterment of women as men. Ultimately, Fascinating Womanhood is a women’s movement by women and for women.
We are not currently accepting new applications for teachers. We’ve closed this portion of our operations temporarily because of high demand and limited resources. We will announce to the public if and when we re-open general acceptance of applications. Being a certified teacher is a big responsibility that requires training, a committment to maintaining principles, and upholding a certain image. We require our teachers to reflect Fascinating Womanhood teachings whenever they behave or communicate in their capacity as a teacher, or whenever the public may perceive them to represent Fascinating Womanhood. We also require teachers to use their own initiative to find students and to teach, though we do provide support in these matters. We certify teachers for a period of 2 years, subject to ongoing recertification. Recertification requires review and proof of compliance with standards and expectations. We issue certificates to our teachers but the only definitive list of certified teachers appears on this website. This means that if a name doesn’t appear on our website list of teachers, they aren’t certified.