Dear Readers: Today’s SOUND OFF is about the apparel young women wear on television:

“Dear Heloise: I have a comment and a question. Why is there not enough budget money for the news and weather women to have clothing that would cover their knees?”

– Anonymous in San Antonio

Dear Anonymous: Many young women keep up with the fashion trends (just like their mothers and grandmothers did), and the current trend for young women is short skirts. Their mothers wore the miniskirt in the ’60s, and during World War II, when cloth was rationed, women raised their hemlines. In the ’20s, women who wore short dresses and rolled down their stockings were considered very daring. Fashions come and go, and no doubt hemlines will drop again.

— Heloise

FAST FACTS

Dear Readers: Protect yourself from telemarketing fraud with some of these hints:

* If it sounds too good to be true, it more than likely isn’t true. It’s OK to be skeptical!

* Never, ever give out banking information, your Social Security number, passwords or any other personal information. Telemarketers have NO RIGHT to ask those types of questions.

* Use caution when a company won’t give you its name, address or references.

* DO NOT be pressured into making a decision immediately, no matter what they tell you.

— Heloise

REUSABLE AND RECYCLED

Dear Heloise: I always either recycle or reuse plastic containers. I save them for a number of uses, such as a container for small gift items (jewelry, watches, belts, scarves, etc.). For example, I’ll take a container that held strawberries, put some shredded paper on the bottom and put the little gift on top, then put a ribbon around it. I used a tub that held a whipped topping by painting it gold and decorating it for Christmas, then placed home-baked cookies inside.

— Kaycee D., Chelsea, Mass.

Kaycee, what a great hint! It’s an inexpensive gift-giving idea and environmentally friendly. Readers, do you have more suggestions for empty plastic containers that you’d like to share?

— Heloise

HELP IS ON THE WAY!

Dear Heloise: HELP! I just got lipstick on my husband’s favorite Egyptian cotton shirt. How do I get it out without ruining his shirt?

— Carla Y., Manchester, N.H.

Carla, immediately place the stained area over an absorbent towel and saturate with rubbing alcohol (test hidden area of fabric for colorfastness). Then rub the area with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. You also may have good results with a pre-wash spray. Rinse and launder as usual.

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This and many more stain-removing ideas are in my Handy Stain Guide for Clothing pamphlet. Just go to www.Heloise.com, or you can send a stamped (70 cents), self-addressed, long envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise/Stain, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.