What exactly is a real woman? Who is to say?

Dear Readers: Today’s Sound Off is about the unrealistic expectations placed on women.

— Heloise “Dear Heloise: The world is full of beautiful women. Some look like supermodels, and some look like me — an average-looking person, clean and neat but not a great beauty. Still, beauty magazines would have us believe that a 30-year-old woman can look like the retouched 18-year-old model if we buy what they’re selling. I would be more impressed with a 50-year-old woman looking the best she can with the manufacturer’s product. I don’t care if it’s makeup/ shampoo, clothing or undergarments.

“Show us a real woman for a refreshing change. Choose a housewife with a couple of kids, a full-time job and a few extra pounds on her hips. Why? Because these are the real heroes of our society. These are the women who do the best they can with what they’ve got, and more than likely, they aren’t supermodels. They’re just your average American woman with little time or money to spend on herself. Let manufacturers show us how their products work on real women who haven’t been retouched.”

— Valerie H. in Los Angeles

Fast facts

Dear Readers: Here are some additional uses for salt:

• Make a salt and water paste and rub on callused feet to remove dead skin.

• Use as a gargle solution to relieve a sore throat.

• Place fruit or veggies in lightly salted water while they’re cooking to help them retain their color.

• Soak a cloth in salt water and press it to a bee sting to reduce pain.

— Heloise

Great Dane, great idea

Dear Heloise: We have two Great Danes, and I noticed they made such a mess while eating. Our vet told us they needed an elevated dog bowl. My husband made a platform about 20 inches above the floor with two large holes so we could just drop their metal bowls into the open slots. This worked like a charm.

— Sherri W., Kona, Hawaii

Broken glass

Dear Heloise: I broke a water glass on my kitchen floor, but even after vacuuming and mopping I could still see tiny slivers of glass. I took a slice of fresh white bread, placed it on the slivers of glass and carefully pressed down. This method collected the remaining tiny pieces of glass.

— Theresa L., Augusta,

Georgia

Saving money

Dear Heloise: I wanted to go on a nice vacation last year but felt I couldn’t afford it. I started to put every $5 bill I received into a jar, and when the jar filled up, I put it in my savings account. I did this for a year, and by the time the year was up, I had enough to take that vacation.

— Sandra S., Tyler, Texas Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.