Dating in the 21st century vs 1950

Having someone you love is something that no matter who you are and where you are from you always look for. Most times dating starts when you are a young and school is the main place where kids meet and they build up along the way what is going to become a strong relationship. But the way dating is being developed now and the way it was in the 50's is very different. I had the chance to meet up with a lovely old lady and we talked about old times when she was a young girl. 

In the 50’s the way young girls had to behave was totally different from now. But although at that time tradition were still enforced, dating was accepted. Just like it is now. On campus young girls could date young boys and they had the freedom to be open about it. Holding hands and being affectionate was not really seen as a problem, consider that we might think that maybe it was seen as too much explosion from people from the older generation. In the yearbooks of the Penn State University, you could see photos of people in love, walking hands in hands. Now days young collegians can date freely too although they don’t have as much barriers as the older generations did. For example, sex was a taboo in the 50’s. You first had to be married to be able to have sex. But now, sex is as normal as drinking water per day is.

On the other hand, getting married at a young age in 1950’s was seen as normal but in this century it seen as premature when a young girl gets married. During my conversation with my interviewee at the Foxdale Village I learned the she was married when she was 19 years old. During that time you were allowed to get married and carry on your studies while being married. That’s why in the year book of the university you could see pictures of families in the year book, wives of soldiers that were allowed after war to pursue their studies, came together with their husbands and lived with them. My interviewee, Mrs. Ellen stated that age is just a number and that when you are in love and have the same vision as your partner nothing should stop you. And that’s what she did.

                                        References

Reference 1: Penn State year book, La Vie (1950, pg 361)

Reference 2: Mrs. Ellen Fenwick, Foxdale Village.