129 Ways to Find a Man, According to Advice from 1958

Everyone knows that the dating world has changed drastically in recent years. But how radical the changes have been, only becomes clear when we read back through an old article that was published in women’s magazine McCall’s. In 1958, the magazine published an article with 129 ways to find a man. Let’s just say that some of them are, at least by today’s standards, a bit unusual.

From ‘carrying a hatbox’ to ‘standing in the corner and sobbing’, this article on the best tips of 1958 is full of bizarre and quirky ways to get a man’s attention. Perhaps the worst part of it all is that this is no joke, but a serious list of dating tips compiled by a panel of 16 experts. It’s absurd, outdated and partly unbelievable, but these were the real tactics recommended in the 1950s.

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129 Ways to Find a Man

Are you going to go for the grim tactic of “reading obituaries to find widowers”? Or would you rather “sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons?” These could be ways to find a man. So if you’re really struggling with your love life and can’t see any other options, you can always follow this advice from 1958.

Where to find him

1. Get a dog and walk him.
2. Let your car break down in strategic places.
3. Go to night school – take courses that men like.
4. Search the census records for places with the most single men.
5. Read the obituaries to find widowers.
6. Join a walking club.
7. Go golfing and visit different golf courses.
8. Take several short vacations in different places instead of one long one in one place.
9. Sit on a bench in the park and feed the pigeons.
10. Take a bike tour through Europe.
11. Find a job in a medical, dental, or law university.
12. Become a nurse or an airline flight attendant.
13. Ask your friends’ husbands for eligible men in their office.
14. Be nice to everyone – maybe they have a suitable son or brother.
15. Find a government job abroad.
16. Register for jury service.
17. Be kind to ugly men – judge a man by his actions, not by his appearance.
18. Tell your friends you want to get married.
19. Get lost at football matches.
20. Don’t take a job in a company that is largely run by women.
21. Find a job demonstrating fishing tackle in a sporting goods store.
22. Don’t sit next to a woman on a plane, train or bus – sit next to a man.
23. Go to all the school reunions, there may be widowers there.
24. Don’t be afraid to hang out with more attractive girls, they might have some leftovers.
25. Go back to your hometown – the wild kid next door might now be an eligible bachelor.
26. Don’t room with a sad girl who drags you down to her level.
27. Take a part-time job at a convention bureau.
28. Change apartments from time to time.
29. When traveling, stay in small hotels where it is easier to meet strangers.
30. Learn to paint. Set up an easel outside the technical school.

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How to Let Him Know You’re There

31. Stumble when you enter a room he is in.
32. Forget discretion every now and then and call him.
33. Carry a hat box with you.
34. Wear a band-aid – people always ask what happened.
35. Earn a lot of money.
36. Learn several funny stories and learn to tell them well, but make sure you don’t tell the joke more than once.
37. Walk up to him and tell him you need some advice.
38. Dropping the handkerchief still works.
39. Have your father buy some theater tickets that need to be used.
40. Go stand in a corner and sob – chances are he’ll come to you and ask what’s wrong.
41. If you are at a resort, have a bellhop page you.
42. Buy a convertible – men like to drive them.
43. Don’t let him fish for your name the next time you meet.
44. Learn how to bake delicious apple pies – bring one to the office and let the eligible bachelors taste it.
45. Laugh at his jokes.
46. If there is a wallflower (introverted and aloof) among the men you know, why not approach him?
47. Let your wallet ‘accidentally’ open, sending its contents flying across the street.

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How to look good for him

48. Men like to think they are the authority on perfume, ask his advice on what kind to wear.
49. Get nicer glasses – men still pass up girls who wear glasses – or try contact lenses.
50. Practice your drinks with your female friends first.
51. If you dye your hair, choose a shade and stick with it.
52. Wear high heels most of the time – they are sexier.
53. Unless he happens to be shorter than you.
54. Tell him he’s handsome.
55. Take good care of your health – men don’t like sick girls.
56. If you look good in sweaters, wear one on every third date.
57. Dress differently from the other girls in the office.
58. Make sure you don’t get sunburned.
59. Pay attention to your vocabulary.
60. Go on a diet if necessary.
61. When you’re with him, order your steak rare .
62. Don’t tell him about your allergies.
63. European women use their eyes to good advantage – practice in front of a mirror.
64. Buy a full-length mirror and take a good, long look at yourself before you meet him.
65. Change the shade of your stockings and make sure to keep the seams straight.
66. Get that fresh scrubbed look by scrubbing.
67. If he bought you an accessory or toy, wear it.
68. Use the ashtray, do not extinguish cigarettes in a coffee cup.
69. Get better at making introductions, learn to do them gracefully.
70. Don’t be too picky.
71. Stick to your moral standards.
72. Don’t whine .

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How to win him over

73. Show him that you can have fun on a cheap date – but don’t overdo it.
74. Don’t let your parents treat him like a potential husband.
75. Ask your parents to leave if you have something fun to do.
76. Double date with a happily married couple, show him what it’s like.
77. Tell his friends nice things about him.
78. Send his mother a birthday card.
79. Ask his mother for recipes.
80. Talk to his father about business and agree that taxes are too high.
81. Buy a gift for his sister’s children every now and then.
82. Tell him on the first date that you have no intention of getting married.
83. Don’t talk about how many children you want.
84. If he is a fisherman, learn to fish and clean.
85. Don’t tell him everything about yourself at first. Keep some in reserve.
86. When you’re walking with him, don’t stop at every shop window.
87. Don’t tell him how much your clothes cost.
88. Learn to sew and wear something you made yourself.
89. Don’t gossip about him.
90. Never let him know that he is the only one, even if it means staying home one or two nights a week.
91. Don’t be easily persuaded if he tries to schedule a date.
92. Why not choose a favorite song for both of you very early on in your dating life?
93. Learn about the girls he didn’t marry. Don’t repeat their mistakes.
94. Don’t talk about your ex-boyfriends.
95. If you are a widow or divorced, do not discuss your former spouse.
96. Be flexible – if he decides to skip the dance and go rowing on the lake, go – even if you’re wearing your best evening dress.
97. Hide your Phi Beta Kappa key if you have one – later junior can play with it.
98. Turn wolves into husbands by assuming they have honor.
99. Resist the urge to change him – before marriage.
100. Remain innocent but not ignorant.
101. Learn to draw the line, but do it gracefully.
102. Make your home comfortable when he calls – large ashtrays, comfortable chairs.
103. Learn to play poker.
104. If he’s rich, tell him you love his money – the honesty will intrigue him.
105. Never let him believe that your career is more important than your marriage.
106. Buy him a funny or special gift every now and then, but don’t make it too expensive.
107. Clip and email him a funny cartoon that means something to both of you.
108. Don’t tell dirty stories .
109. Stop being a mother’s girl – don’t make him think he’s going to have problems with the in-laws, even if that happens.
110. Point out to him that the mortality rate among single men is twice that of married men.

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Wild ideas – anything is possible

111. Go to Yale.
112. Get a hunting license.
113. If your mother is fat, tell her you look like your father. If he is fat too, tell her you are adopted!
114. Hide on a battleship.
115. Rent a billboard and put your photo and phone number on it.
116. Paint your name and number on a roof and write ‘call me pilots’.
117. Start a word-of-mouth advertising campaign about how in demand you are.
118. Spend the afternoon relaxing on a luxurious beach.
119. Drive back and forth from the airport.
120. Bribe a Ferris wheel operator to strap you into the top of the Ferris wheel.
121. Stand on a busy street corner with a lasso.
122. Carry a camera and ask strange, handsome men if they mind taking your picture.
123. Ask your mother to take in male boarders.
124. Making and selling toupees – bald men are easy.
125. Advertise for a male co-owner of a boat.
126. If you see a man with a flat tire, offer to help him.
127. Carry a tow chain in the trunk of your car.
128. Let your office know that you have a button closet and sew on bachelors‘ loose buttons.
129. Don’t marry him if he has too many loose buttons.

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