Interview with ANN LANDERS: Living By the Letter

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A. Well, my daughter was 15 years old when I went to work. And actually, I didn't go to work. I worked at home. So when she came home from school, I was there. I don't think she realized that I was a workingwoman. I never felt like a workingwoman.

Q. Do you feel that way now?

A. You know, this sounds crazy, but no. Yet I work harder than anybody I know. Somehow I don't think of it as work, because I really love what I do. Also, the freedom of being able to make my own schedule is marvelous. Most people who work have to get up in the morning and go to an office or a store. If I want to sleep until 10 o'clock, I can do it.

Q. Why do you stop short of calling yourself a feminist when you support a traditionally feminist cause such as a woman's right to an abortion?

A. I don't want anybody calling me Ms. I have certain ideas that I had even before the feminist movement came along. I always believed in these things, like equal pay for equal work, but I can't say that I went out and fought for those principles.

Q. If you were still married, would you continue to have JULES' WIFE embroidered in your fur coats?

A. Yes, I would. Being Jules' wife was more important than being Ann Landers.

Q. What happened to those fur coats after your divorce?

A. I had the linings removed.