1950s Housewife - Husband Hunting

Today, Bex Scott takes us back in time to the days of the 1950s housewife. An article from the New Zealand Herald in 2018 shared a vintage 1950s article on how to attract men and Bex dives into it with us to see how many, if any, of the old tips are valid. Take a trip in Bex’s time machine and learn, from different articles, how to find a husband, how to keep him happy once married, and how to keep looking pretty for this coveted man. How cringe-worthy is this article by today’s standards? Join Bex to find out. 

Modern dating often involves online dating so in fifty years we may look back on this era and find it extremely cringe-worthy as well. For now, 1950s sensibilities are on glorious display in this vintage article. The article was originally published under the title 129 Ways to Get a Husband in McCall’s magazine and was aimed at women who weren’t married by the ripe old age of seventeen. The suggestions range from simple - “walk a dog” - to baffling - “read the obituaries to find eligible widowers”. Of course, snagging a husband is only half the battle. Once married, he has to be kept happy. Those suggestions, from a 1950s Home Ec book, range from the expected - “have dinner ready when he comes home” - to the old school - “arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes”. Deep dive into the mind-blowing world of 50s husband hunting with Bex.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Husband Hunting: Cringeworthy 1950s article advises women on how to attract men” NZ Herald, November 7, 2018

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• Instagram: @pyrexwithbex

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Transcript

Bex Scott: [00:00:02] Hey everybody, it's Bex Scott and welcome to the Pyrex with Bex podcast where, you guessed it, I talk about vintage Pyrex, but also all things vintage housewares. I'll take you on my latest thrifting adventures, talk about reselling, chat with other enthusiasts about their collections, and learn about a bunch of really awesome items from the past. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you love listening to podcasts so you don't miss a beat. Hey everybody, this is Bex Scott and you are listening to the Pyrex with Bex podcast. On today's episode, I wanted to go into a topic that interests me and I'm sure interests quite a few of you as well. It's the 1950s housewife. So we just got through the holiday season. We're in January now. By the time you listen to this episode, it's probably going to be way past that. But over the holidays, I always like going through cookbooks, reading old magazines, and learning a little bit more about the 1950s and 1960s and doing some research. And this past holiday season, I came across a bunch of really good recipes, articles and books. But one in particular that I wanted to talk about today was based off of an article from a while back. It was actually published on November 7th in 2018, in the New Zealand Herald. And the title was Husband Hunting, Cringeworthy 1950s Article Advises Women on How to Attract Men. And this headline caught me right after I read it.

Bex Scott: [00:01:50] I had to go through online dating before I met my husband. Dated a whole bunch of really interesting guys, not so great guys. Just ask anybody in my family. I was very lucky to find my husband and now not have to worry about how to attract a man, as this article title says. But I always find it very interesting to learn about what women had to do, or what was kind of expected of them in that time period with beauty, with how they were supposed to act, etiquette in general, and kind of what the world expected of women in the 1950s. And I think this article sums it up perfectly. So I'm going to go through it with you. And they have the actual article from, so they wrote about it in the New Zealand Herald, but they also have the 1950s article in full here that I will read for you. And I think you guys are going to get a kick out of some of it and probably cringe at most of it, but I'd love to know what you think after this episode.

Bex Scott: [00:03:02] Okay, so they start off by saying a magazine from the 1950s features a cringe worthy advice column for single women on how to attract men. The article, headlined 129 Ways to Get a Husband from the American magazine McCall's, includes hilarious and bizarre tips where most would never be used in this era, I'm sure. Photos of the advice column were posted on Facebook, with the post quickly becoming viral. So this is in 2018. The post had been shared over 13,000 times and had caused widespread controversy, quickly racking up more than 4600 likes and thousands of comments from shocked and amused users. The feature, aimed at women who weren't married by 17, was created with the help of 16 people who used a brainstorming technique to see if they could come up with fresh ideas on how to find a husband. The first 30 pointers reveal where to find him, giving single women creative tips on how to run into their potential new husband. This section includes advice as simple as get a dog and walk it to very cynical ideas like read obituaries to find eligible widowers.

Bex Scott: [00:04:16] Okay, so there's 13 different numbers here that they've listed on where to find your husband. Number one, get a dog and walk it. Number two, have your car break down at strategic places. That sounds very sketchy to me. I would not advise this in 2025 at all. Number three, attend night school, take courses men like. Okay. Number four, join a hiking club. I know many people, I have many friends who've actually done this and met some very nice men. So a hiking club is not a bad number here. Number five, look in the census reports for places with the most single men. Nevada has 125 males for every 100 females. Number six, read the obituaries to find eligible widowers. That is crazy. We're not going to do that. Number seven, take up golf and go to different golf courses. Okay, that could be a solid go-to. Number eight, take several short vacations at different places rather than one long one at one place. Number nine, sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons. Number ten, take a bicycle trip through Europe. Mm. That sounds very romantic and not realistic to find a man on a bicycle trip. You never know. I've known people who've met their significant other on a nice European trip. Number 11, get a job in a medical, dental or law school. Number 12, become a nurse or an airline stewardess. They have very high marriage rates. Number 13, ask your friends husbands who the eligible men are in their offices.

Bex Scott: [00:06:10] Okay, so the next piece of advice is how to let him know you're there. Giving women cunning ideas to get a man's attention. Okay, so here are all 41 of the ways to let him know you're there. So feel free to try any of these if you'd like. Okay. Be nice to everybody, they may have an eligible brother or son. Get a government job overseas. Forget discretion every once in a while and call them up. Carry a hat box. I wonder what that would do now? Probably not too much. If you carried a hat box, people would be wondering what was in the box. Make a lot of money. Okay. Learn several funny stories and learn to tell them well, but make sure you don't tell them to him more than once. Walk up to him and tell him you need some advice. Dropping the handkerchief still works. You could do that with a Kleenex, but I highly doubt that a man is going to pick up your Kleenex. Have your father buy some theater tickets that have to be got rid of. Don't let him fish for your name the next time you meet. None of this guess who stuff.

Bex Scott: [00:07:35] Next, single women are given advice on how to look good to him. Suggesting what cosmetics and items to wear. Get better looking glasses. Men still make passes at girls who wear glasses. Or you could try contact lenses, number 49 advises. Wear high heels most of the time, they're sexier. Unless he happens to be shorter than you, another pointer said. Okay, so here we go, continuing on. If you're at a resort, have the bellboy page you. Buy a convertible. Men like to ride in them. Learn how to bake tasty apple pies. Bring one into the office and let the eligible bachelor taste it. Laugh at his jokes. If there's a wallflower among the men you know, why not cultivate him. Oh cultivate the flower? For all you know, he may be a diamond in the rough. Accidentally have your purse fly open, scattering its contents all over the street. I don't think I'd want any, no, no, I don't want anybody knowing what's in my purse. Not that there's anything bad in there, but probably a lot of Pyrex. No, I'm kidding. I didn't have Pyrex back in the day in my purse.

Bex Scott: [00:07:35] Okay. How to look good to him. So this is the next section. Men like to think they're authorities on perfume. Ask his advice on what kind you should wear. Practice your drinking with your women friends first. If you dye your hair, pick a shade and stick to it. Tell him he's handsome. Take good care of your health, men don't like girls who are ill. That's an obvious one. If you look good in sweaters, wear one on every third date. Dress differently from the other girls in the office. Get a sunburn. What? Watch your vocabulary. Blah blah blah. Oh, my gosh, that's a great word to stumble on. Watch your vocabulary. There we go. Go on a diet if you need to. What? When you're with him, order your steak rare. Don't tell him about your allergies. Oh, great, so he can try and kill you.