Dating in the 1950's

by Rhyann Bowman

When we picture dating in the 1950's, we picture ice cream shops, swing music, suits, dresses, and huge grins. After WWII, teenagers had more freedom than the generations before them ever were. One of the freedoms they had was the way they dated. During this time period, they set up conventions of dating that are still used today. Dating replaced calling in this time period. When a young man "calls" a young woman, he usually shows up at her house and presents his card to the maid, who gives it to the young woman. She either accepts his call by letting him in or rejects it by making up an excuse as to why she can’t see him [1]. The entertainment at a calling event was usually piano playing. The lower class of society didn’t have much money so they couldn’t afford pianos and maids. Instead, they started “dating”. Soon after, the upper class started “dating”. This practice is obviously still around today.

It was also understood that the young men would pay for the date. However, some young men did not have enough money to pay for the date so they would not date. Girls would miss out on some really great guys just because the guys weren't wealthy. This is still a norm that exists today but I think that it is fading away. Young women are now either offering to pay for the date or to split the cost of the date with the young man. However, some girls today still expect this from the young man. I think that if you took part in the activities that went on during the date, you should pay your share. It should not be on the man to pay for you.

Along with the dating, sexual activities took place. People understood that “necking” and “petting” were done by people who participated in dating. Usually, at the end of the date, the couple would sit in the young man’s car and “pet” [2], which meant that they would make out and caress one another. Petting was basically everything except sexual intercourse. In fact, petting was actually expected after dates. After paying for the date, the young man thought that petting was the least that the young woman could do in return. I disagree with this because that’s slightly similar to prostitution. If you paid for the date, kudos. But that doesn’t mean that I have to give you any part of my body and if you were expecting it, clearly sex was the only goal of the relationship and it wouldn’t have worked out anyway so it’s best to get out early. These conventions still exist today. I think that some minor adjustments should be made, like splitting the cost of the date should be become a norm. If it were a norm, they would be less pressure and less expectation of engaging in sexual intercourse.

[1] Sombat, Windy. "Teenage Dating in the 1950s." Teenage Dating in the 1950s. http://www.plosin.com/beatbegins/projects/sombat.html (accessed April 30, 2014).

[2] Moore, Crystal. "Beyond Reproduction." Lecture,, , April 10, 2014.