Pronouncements about the “girl of the period” were common in the British periodical press in the second half of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. Detractors declared that she was too fast, too modern, too independent, too casual, and too fashionable. She failed to respect the authority of her parents, and she neglected her family and community responsibilities. She was, altogether, less virtuous than girls of the past. In contrast, her advocates defended her as being stronger, healthier, and better educated. She was equally as pure as her mother and her grandmother had been.