Traditional dating rules

Since lower-class families did not have the resources to entertain potential suitors in their home, many couples began leaving the house to spend time together.

Thus, the phrase "going out on a date" became popularized.

Women would only accept date invitations from men with money and gifts and tried to refrain from being seen with the same boy too often.

The dating scene among college students was very competitive: in the first half of the twentieth century, American universities were overwhelminingly populated by men, who sometimes had to fight for dates with the most desired female students.

There’s nothing wrong with carefully planning your dates and adhering to accepted protocols, but it’s also good to be spontaneous and unstructured.

French people linger over meals for hours rather than gulping down fast-food burgers.

Dating became a common and more relaxed way to get to know another person, especially when the automobile was invented and widely consumed by the American public.For many, impressions of French people are formed by watching popular movies like “Amelie” or “Amour.” Or spending a few weeks in Paris. Some of the impressions may be accurate and some not. French people would find these predetermined protocols too formal and stifling.One thing is for sure: French people have a well-deserved reputation for being romantics, living with passion, and enjoying the finer things of life. In America, dating follows a predicable sequence and methodology: Two people are introduced, a first date is arranged, after which phone calls and texts are exchanged, a second date is set up . They prefer to socialize with groups of singles and married people alike.For this reason, the history of dating tends to be quite different for the LGBT population.In the first decade of the twentieth century, men "called upon" young women whom they fancied by (with the permission of her parents) visiting her home.