Reader with a Cause discussion

The Astronaut Wives Club clearly portrays the discrepancy between the hypothetical-perfect-family of yore and the actual reality that each wife lived. The myth of the "Perfect Family" was thrust upon each Astro-family and each wife had to deal with this myth in her own way.

"The seven wives hosted their ghostwriters at their homes and let them tag along as they went about their daily routines. The girls found their real selves disappearing behind Life's depiction of what it meant to be not only the perfect 50s housewife, but the perfect astronaut's wife, molded like the popular Barbie doll that had first appeared on store shelves that spring. The wives felt keenly the pressure to do everything just so, now that the whole country was watching them." (30)

"Whatever eccentricities the wives displayed, Life was complicit with NASA in erasing quirks, such as 31-year-old Betty referring to herself, because of all she'd been through, as 'Ole Betty.'" (36)

What effect do you think this pressure had on each family?

Do you think that we are continuing to grapple with a myth of the "Perfect Family" today, or have we moved beyond these expectations? Why do you think so? In what ways do you see this in your own life?

How does this myth affect survivors and victims of domestic violence and sexual assault?