What Dating Was Like in the 1950s

The 1950s is often glamorized as a heyday of fashion and glitz, of good manners and elegantly-dressed women. While it was all those things, the decade was also a time when the world of dating was being turned upside down. For the first time teens had access to cars in great numbers, and youth culture was becoming its own thing in most areas. With all these changes, along with leaving the austerity of the 1940s behind, dating in the 1950s looked pretty different to previous decades.

Having access to a vehicle certainly gave young people a different experience of dating. Teens having cars was a newer phenomenon that gave them lots of freedom and autonomy, something previous generations did not have. This autonomy was intertwined with youth culture like rock & roll. This gave rise to a new way of finding a husband or wife by casually dating many different people until you found the right one.

Parking, necking, and cruising were popular date activities to do in the car. Drive-in movie theaters and restaurants opened up in great numbers and gave teens more private places to talk and spend time together in automobiles.

Going on dates was not the same thing as going steady. Dates could happen with a variety of friends, but it wasn’t serious until you were officially going steady (and both parties had to agree on that!). But, since a girl could date several boys in a short time span without going steady, it was not uncommon for any male friend to be called a boyfriend or a fella’s dates to be called girlfriends by others. It wasn’t until you were going steady together that you were official and exclusive -perhaps even on the way towards marriage.

Once you were going steady there would often be a sign to others. Class pins, rings, or jackets would be “given” to the girl if in high school. Some young women got promise rings, while others might be given a gold locket. Breaking up meant giving these things back.

Living together before marriage was highly unusual so this intermediary step between casual dating and getting married showed the world that a couple was getting serious. Meeting the girl’s family was important, as parents wanted to make sure her dates were up to snuff.

Dates could be very lighthearted and as simple as going to a school game and getting ice cream afterwards. Other dates could be more formal or involved such as going to a nice restaurant, going to a formal dance, or seeing a play. Group or double dates were not uncommon at all, especially for younger folks.

For teens and adults at a restaurant most men did the ordering for the women, part of the overall culture at the time. Like generations before the men were expected to pick up the check on dates (or any public outing for that matter).