SOMETHING OLD

As may older relatives and family members would attest, old-fashioned dating habits followed a set of unwritten yet well-known rules. For example, in traditional dating, the emphasis was on getting to know more about a familiar partner, establishing chemistry, and building a bond through planned in-person interactions. Also, old-fashioned dating was heavily centered on the actions of the men, who were the initiators of the relationship and the planners of the date. For instance, men would always be the first to approach a woman and “make the first move” by asking her out on a date (Coleman). The man would then carefully and thoughtfully plan a date; the most common date involved dinner and a movie, in which the man always paid. With the logistics set, the woman would anxiously get picked up from her house by her date, who usually arrived with flowers. The man would then take every effort to showcase his kind and chivalrous nature. With this chivalrous and respectful attitude in mind, many men and women in early relationships would avoid discussing serious topics and instead opt to keep the conversations “light and airy” (Coleman). In addition, men and women would avoid kissing on the first date to avoid seeming promiscuous to the public and to their potential partners. At the end of the date, the man would make sure that his date arrived home safely and would proceed to wait at least three days before contacting his date again in order to avoid seeming too eager. In traditional dating, first dates with a positive outcome would then progress to additional dates and then eventually an exclusive relationship, with future hopes of a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, in old-fashioned dating, if a romantic interest or date didn’t work out, the topic of remaining friends was typically not an option.