4. Telling girls to assuage male egos at all costs
The 1959 etiquette book “She-Manners” encouraged teenage girls to “forget your own desires for importance” in order to please men. It stated, “Compliment him on his physical prowess, his mental acumen, his good looks, his virility. The worst mistake a girl can make is to make a man feel intellectually inferior or inadequate as a male.”
Today, most relationship advice hinges upon both partners fulfilling each other’s emotional needs, and this male-centric wisdom really hasn’t aged well.
5. Requiring men to tend to women in public
Back in the day, men weren’t just expected to hold doors for women. They were to help them put their coats on, ease them out of their seats, order food for them, and pay for every meal. That may seem excessive to us, but it was simply good manners back until gender norms began to budge in US in the 1960s and 1970s.
Of course, people can adopt whatever old-school manners they want to in their personal life, as long as everyone’s happy. But nowadays, this barrage of attentiveness wouldn’t be considered courteous, Business Insider previously reported. In fact, many would find it patronizing and disconcerting.
RELATED: Chick-Fil-A Is So Successful Because They Taught Their Workers To Have Good Manners