There’s no doubt that times have changed between 1958 and 2018. From the sexual revolution of the 1960s to advances in technology, the world in the 20th century is almost unrecognizable from the one we live in today. One of the most remarkable ways the world has changed? The relationships between men and women.
Recently, a 1958 publication entitled “129 Ways to Get a Husband” has been making waves on the internet. The article, which was published in McCall’s, is making jaws drop. It was found at a rummage sale in Madison, Wisconsin, by Kim Marx-Kuczynski and her boyfriend, John Bascynski.
The article is a sure sign of the times.
“I think the article is reflective of the social mores of the era, and I found the comparison between what was acceptable then and what is acceptable now fascinating,” Marx-Kuczynski said. “It also made me grateful that so much progress has been made. I’d like to read about someone’s attempts at trying out everything on the list though. They would either end up with a degree from Yale, in federal prison for stowing away on a military vessel, or in an intervention meeting with friends who’ve been very concerned with their recent behavior.”
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Some of the advice is pretty bizarre.
The list of ways to nab a husband range from cringeworthy to humorous to downright absurd. Some of them aren’t too wild, like number 13: “Ask your friends’ husbands who the eligible men are in their offices.” After all, people in 2018 still ask their friends to help set them up.
Others are a bit more eyebrow-raising.
“Look in the census reports for places with the most single men,” reads number 5. “Nevada has 125 males for every 100 females.”
There’s no need to be rude…
Some are even a bit insulting. Number 17 advises women to befriend unattractive men. Essentially, it’s trying to say that looks are not the most important thing about a person. Still, was it really necessary to call someone ugly? The advice smacks of rudeness to both sides. It implies that men who aren’t conventionally attractive are somehow second-rate. To women, it seems to be saying that they may as well settle because “ugly” men are the best they’re going to get.
Another pretty insulting method suggests that women who are still unmarried should hang out with prettier women. After all, they’re sure to have flocks of admirers, but they can’t have every man. The article doesn’t mince words. Those men who can’t get the pretty girls? They’re “leftovers.”
Back in 1958, helpless women were all the rage.
There are plenty of methods that urge readers to play the “helpless woman card.” Method number 19 suggests that it’s a good idea to pretend to get lost at sporting events. Apparently, women in 1958 were too stupid to find their way around a sports arena. The article also says it’s a good idea to pretend to trip or drop handkerchiefs to get men to notice you.
Other methods seem downright predatory. One advises women to go to all their old high school reunions in the hope of finding a classmate whose wife has died.
It’s also a good way to make people think you’re crazy.
The best ones are just plain absurd. You have to wonder whether any of our grandmothers successfully found a husband by standing in a corner and pretending to cry, not telling men about their allergies, or wearing a Band-Aid because people always want to hear a good injury story. As for telling him that single men die twice as often as married men … threatening someone into marriage might not be the start of a long and happy life together.
There is also a lot of stereotyping. How exactly are women supposed to make sure they’re never sick because “men don’t like girls who are ill?” And why was the article so sure that every man was interested in fishing, hunting, sports, and poker?
Then again, maybe we haven’t changed all that much.
There’s a lot to take in and a lot to laugh at, especially for people reading the article in 2018. But we should also remember that modern magazines offer some pretty absurd advice for how to keep men interested, too. Cosmopolitan got a laugh by suggesting women intrigue men by suggesting their dads are flirting with them, too.
The article claims to have been written by 16 experts. It doesn’t specify what they are experts in. But presumably, they saw success with some of these methods, so maybe they’re not quite as crazy as you think.
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I bought a McCall’s magazine from 1958 because the cover advertised an article titled “129 Ways to Get a Husband” and it…
Posted by Kim Marx-Kuczynski on Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Source: Bored Panda, Daily Edge, Facebook/Kim Marx-Kuczynski
