What was dating like in the 1980s

They were simpler times back then for sure, and today we are going to focus on what exactly has changed in the modern era. Online dating was seen as a more modern approach to the speed dating of the s, a more slick and easy way for you to meet others, based on their looks and their interests. This began through web browsers but right now we have smartphone apps which are heavily used. The swiping culture now is the most commonly used form of dating. There is a far more scientific approach which is taken by dating sites like Yvonne Allen to help ensure that matches have the very best chance of success.

Men who play games. Except for Balderdash. So fun. Break out the Balderdash. Or do what comedian Sam Jones suggests: "Just be authentic. If you had no game and were just generally kind of dull, you could simply be polite and still stand a chance of getting many, many more dates. Women are better educated, more financially independent, and under far less pressure to get married by, like, Being a single woman is way more fun and less stigmatizing than it used to be.

Lucky for you, "edge" is a more expansive term than it was in the '80s. And pay for drinks. Ha ha ha. That's sort of the same thing, right? If a guy was interested, he called you on a landline to talk and ask you out on a date. Now, if a guy is interested, he drunk texts you on a Friday night. Sad, but true. If only you could still throw your frizzy hair up into a scrunchy for a date, and have it be totally hot.

If only. After breaking up, you could be totally busted for your stalking tendencies if he caught you driving by his house in your best friend's car. Now, you can be safe in your rage at his new life, thanks to social media. Despite the backlash flapper girls received, dating continued to distance itself from tradition and family as middle-to-upper class America experienced a n era of exceptional prosperity after the war.

Dating, as a concept, became an activity closely associated with the entertainment industry as a whole — the Prohibition spurred adventurous couples to go out drinking at bars under cover of darkness, but in addition to speakeasies, couples who were lower on the socio-economic ladder were able to go out dancing, or meet in free, public spaces. Furthermore, as cars became more commonplace, couples finally had a way — and a place — to have unchaperoned dates.

The first drive-in movie theater opened on June 6, , in Camden, New Jersey. Advertised as a family or group activity, moviegoers had to pay 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person to park, which meant that a night out at the theater could cost less than a dollar overall. Because the automobile era had arrived and the movie industry was booming parking to watch a drive-in movie was a hugely common dating activity that soon became an icon of American culture.

American historian Beth Bailey explained in a Mars Hill Audio report called " Wandering Toward the Altar: The Decline of American Courtship " that in the period leading up to World War II, one's perceived popularity and status epitomized one's dating success , instead of one's personality, attributes, or interpersonal skills. Men's popularity was not at that time measured by how much sex they could have, or by whether or not they got married, but instead by the material objects they owned, and by whether or not they had a fraternity membership.

Women's popularity, on the other hand, was determined by how "in demand" they appeared to be at any given time , and whether or not they managed to be "seen" in public with a desirable man. For further insight as to how society viewed single women in the s, look n o further than the illustrated guide that Click-Photo Parade magazine published back in , as shared by Mashable. Among some of the magazine's tips to straight, single women were to prioritize a man's interests lest he find you boring "Please and flatter your date by talking about the things he wants to talk about" , to refrain from using the car mirror for make-up application "Man needs it in driving, and it annoys him very much Women were pressured, from as early as their adolescence , to secure husbands — and yet, public regard for women was never lower.

Women were widely denigrated in the '40s and '50s. The media reinforced the notion that a woman could mostly earn value via a successful union: married women were worthwhile , because they, at least, might manage to overcome their exasperating stupidity and do something useful for their husbands. Even though their livelihood was on the line, women were still expected to wait on men to initiate a relationship, lest they be regarded as easy.

For women, being publicly portrayed as being in a monogamous and committed relationship was a matter of utmost importance. The term " going steady " therefore gained traction, and these unions were usually broadcast via tokens: a Letterman jacket, or a class ring.