We've already heard what men hated about women doing during sex in the 1940s. (Clue: behaving discourteously.) But what about when it came to dating?
Well, turns out university professors – not content with teaching reading, writing and arithmetic – released a series of instructional films to help young people navigate the difficult dating scene. One of these was called 'Are You Popular?' and offered the tips below. A few of which might still have resonance today. Sending your date home with milk and brownies, aside…
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**Always look nice
**The men in the video decide they like a woman because of the way she dresses ‘when compared to weird people’. To look like a chic 1940s gal you will need: a sensible length pleated skirt, a knitted sweater, a bullet bra, and painstakingly pin-curled hair. In short: you wouldn’t look terribly out of place in Shoreditch.
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Don’t sleep around
The video berates one woman for ‘thinking she has the key to popularity – parking in cars with boys at night’, which is a fabulous archaic euphemism we’d like to bring back into popular use. Apparently girls who ‘park in cars’ are not really popular, ‘not even with the boys they park with’. (FYI, nothing is said about the boys who participate, this era being the golden age of the double standard.)
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Men: Don’t call a girl really late and ask her out
Apparently she’ll feel like a last resort and girls like time to get ready. In other words: no booty calls allowed.
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Men: Don’t leave decisions up to women
Letting women decide where to go on a date puts them on the spot which they don’t like. Instead, those professors helpfully suggest you should ‘go with the gang to a skating party and weenie roast.’ Which sounds utterly filthy, but apparently just meant ice skating followed by eating hot dogs.
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Don’t make telephone conversations go on for hours
Who makes calls like that these days anyway in this, the age of Snapchat?
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Keep a date calendar
Now, we’re not foolish. Making a note of forthcoming dates is a good idea, even in the age of iPhones. What’s not? Having to also write a note reminding you, as a woman, to ‘do your hair and nails’ every, single night. Wow – women had a lot more time on their hands before the internet came along.
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Introduce your date to your parents on the first date.
We’re not sure a swipe-right followed by a message along the lines of “Hi do you want to go out for a drink AND ALSO MEET MY ENTIRE FAMILY SO THEY CAN SEE IF YOU’RE SUITABLE FOR MARRAIGE???” wouldn’t be a bit too intense these days.
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Give your date food
It was apparently important for a 1940s lady to repay her date at the end – and that meant giving him milk and brownies to take home as a thank you. All of which sounds very wholesome until you remember:
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Think twice before ‘going steady’
The reason given is that it’s too challenging to think of new ideas for dates when you’re with the same person for a long time. Beware the monotony of monogamy. Good to know the 1940s universities were having the same discussions The Daily Mail does today.
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‘Home, parents, and personality all help boys and girls to be popular’
Apparently your house and parents outrank your personality in the world of 1940s dating. So how does sex in a single bed sound?
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.