" A touchingly honest, candidly hysterical memoir from breakout teen author Maya Van Wagenen Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at "pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren't paid to be here," Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular? The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise-meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya's journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence. "-- Provided by publisher.

Documents a high school student's year-long attempt to change her social status from that of a misfit to a member of the "in" crowd by following advice in a 1950s popularity guide, an experiment that triggered embarrassment, humor and unexpected surprises.

Introduction / by Betty Cornell -- Introduction (or how this whole thing came to be) -- September. Figure problems -- October. Hair -- November. Modeling tricks -- December. Skin problems & makeup -- January. Clothes & what to wear where -- February. Good grooming & away from home -- March. Money (how to earn extra) & on the job -- April. Popular attitude: look pretty-be pretty, are you shy? & personality -- May. It's a date & be a hostess -- Epilogue.