Boy Dates Girl
dating tips from 1955
from Boy Dates Girl, published by Scholastic Book Services
copyright 1949 & 1952, revised edition copyright 1955

What can you do if your date's family clutters up the living room and you haven't enough money to take her out somewhere?
Grin and bear it and hope that your date's head works as well as her dimples! Almost any home has a date space, if somebody will find-it and fix-it. An unused basement or attic room can be transformed with a paint brush, needle and thread, and inexpensive materials. The dining room may not be exactly cozy, but a vic or radio can warm up the atmosphere considerably. And what's wrong with the kitchen? Cookie and fudge making aren't exciting, but they're better pastimes than spending the evening with the family! It's a girl's responsibility to make her home "dateable" and any girl who shrugs off this responsibility is missing a sure road to popularity.

How can a girl let her date know that it's time to go home?
Easy does it. Most boys will get the idea without being bounced or booted-even verbally. Often a boy is just as perturbed as you are about the right time to check out. Too early, and you may be insulted or think he isn't having a good time. Too late, and he might get into a jam with either your parents or his own. Toss out a gentle hint, such as, "Too bad we won't have time for the rest of this album," or "Why is it that the best disc jockeys come 'after dating hours'?" If this doesn't make a dent, you can be more plain-spoken: "This is great fun, but there comes a time....."

Should you ever "blind date?"
If you've had bad luck with blind dates in the past, it may not have been entirely your date's fault. The usual trouble is that, as soon as someone asks you to have a "blind date," you conjure up a vision of loveliness who is a cross between Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds. The girls do the same thing, only their dream is of Tony Curtis with perhaps a bit of Gene Kelly's footwork. Now that's unfair to "blind dates!" You'd better be prepared to meet a normal human being, somewhat like you've been accustomed to dating. In some cases you may be delightfully surprised, but don't count on it.

Should girls ever ask boys for dates?
Yes, provided the occasion is a party, a school prom, or a get-together for which other girls are asking boys for dates. It isn't necessary that you've dated the boy you're asking, but it's a good idea for two reasons: (1) You can repay the boy who has been nice to you; (2) You'll know what sort of escort you're getting!

On a first date with a boy you like, should you kiss him good night?
It isn't as if you were going out for necking. That isn't your idea of a favorite sport. And you don't want the sort of popularity that's pegged on petting. It's just that you'd rather not be known as a cold potato. Or maybe your argument is that "everybody does it." Or you don't know how to refuse. If you do kiss the boys good-night, you're running the risk of having yourself foot-noted as an "easy number." Any girl who thinks that lasting romances are built on physical attraction is only kidding herself, perhaps even excusing herself, for not having developed personality enough to attract a boy on an honest basis. Some of the smartest girls think it's better to keep 'em guessing.

Our class would like to have ideas for decorations for the annual Junior-Senior Prom. Could you give us some suggestions?
A Comic Strip Party. This is more fun, of course, when everyone comes dressed as a favorite comic strip character. But the idea can be used in decoration only--cardboard cut-out figures or even Sunday comic sections for wall and refreshment booth decoration.
Deep-Sea Party. Use deep blue crepe paper or cheesecloth as background. Tack on cardboard fish, crabs, lobsters, and mermaids (!) painted with kitchen enamel.
Stratosphere Prom. Silver paper stars, arranged as constellations, against blue background. This might also be turned into a Paper Moon Prom.

Is it all right to take your little sister along on a movie date?
Not if you want more dates with the same boy! If sister-sitting turns out to be a last-minute emergency, better revise your plans and make it a stay-at-home date.

Why do some people 'click' and others not?
Personality is all the things that make you an individual, instead of one of the mob scene. It's the way you look, talk, and act. It's the sum total of Y-O-U. Not what you were born with, but what you make of yourself. If YOU, INC. isn't a "going" concern, then it's high time you took stock and found out what's wrong.
Are you clean and neat in appearance? (Or do you skip the Good Grooming Dept. because it's too much trouble?)
Do you choose plain but well-tailored clothes and sane-and-sensible color combinations? (Or do you go for fads and fancies, the louder the better?)
Are you genuinely friendly toward everyone you know? (Or do you stick with the "chosen few" and skip the others?)
Do you try to speak clearly, intelligibly, and in an even voice? (Or do you blare forth "full volume," whine like an aching radio, or sputter like static?)

Could you help me plan some sort of "beauty routine?"
Any beauty routine should begin just where a football player's training begins--with sane and sensible eating and sleeping habits. Your daily routine of personal cleanliness is just as important. Here are the "musts:"
Twice-a-day (morning and night): Scrub your face with a rough washcloth, mild soap and warm water; brush your teeth--north-south, not east-west!
Once-a-day (morning or night): Take a bath and brush your hair 100 strokes--count 'em!
Once-a-week: Shampoo your hair (preferably with a liquid shampoo) and manicure your nails.
In-between: Use a deodorant under arms, check hem lines, shoulder strips, missing buttons and snaps, and seams in hose every time you dress. Wash your hands and clean your fingernails every time they need it!

My "steady" will be out of school soon and we've planned to get married as soon as he gets a job. What's the use in my going on to school? All I do is think about Don! Besides, what good will school studies and math be to a housewife?
No doubt, the "comforts of home" are in every boy's scheme of things. But they aren't the whole story of marriage. If all Don wants is a cook and laundress, he could save himself a great deal of money and responsibility by hiring them! He wants a companion as well as a cook--and a budget-balancer as well as a laundress. Won't you be better prepared to become a wife--perhaps even to help him earn a living--if you take advantage of schooling rather than sitting, wishing, and waiting?



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