Written by former psychologist Sylvia Hartman, “Princess Valium Meets Shrink Think,” published in Everywoman, defines Valium as both a tranquilizer and threat to individual freedom, and explains how psychiatrists arbitrarily prescribe the drugs to women through the sexist “Draw-a-Person” test. The article begins with an ad which depicts a “Draw-a-Person” test, and describes it as “a psychiatric diagnostic tool” that allows psychiatrists to determine whether or not a patient should be prescribed Valium (Hartman 1). Hartman dismantles the credibility of the “test,” but warns her audience that despite the ridiculousness of “shrink think,” they might be asked to “‘Draw a person, a whole person,” and lays out the method for “psyching-out [a] psychologist” (8). In a tongue-in-cheek tone, Hartman explains how to avoid being prescribed Valium by drawing parts of the body correctly, which includes “put[ting] junk around the eyes,” “mak[ing] the hair neat,” and “keeping the hands away from the body…but not TOO far away” (8). Each of these examples is an opportunity for Hartman to sarcastically point out the ridiculousness of the test. For example, she recommends avoiding shading, as that would be an opportunity for a psychiatrist to conclude that a patient “sees a ray of hope and has confidence that her future will be bright and sunny,” a state of mind that would certainly be treated with Valium (8).

The article concludes with an illustration of the ideal way to take the “Draw-a-Person” test, a woman who is ironically a Playboy Bunny (10). Through humor and critique, Hartman reaches the audience of Everywoman and warns women of Valium and “shrink think” while simultaneously critiquing other patriarchal norms.

Work Cited:

Hartman, Sylvia. “Princess Valium Meets Shrink Think.” Everywoman, vol. 1, no. 2, 29 May 1970, pp. 1+. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/community.28036097.