How to get married: 129 tips from the 1950s that women still use today

Every girl sooner or later begins to dream of putting on a white dress, a lush veil and walking down the aisle with the man of her life. But, unfortunately, not everyone manages to build a family, and the reason for this is many factors.

For decades, ladies desperate to find their soulmate have asked their married friends for advice. In 1958, McCall's magazine combined them into one comprehensive article, which was very popular in its time. Surprisingly, after 60 years they still haven’t forgotten about her!

We present to your attention 129 tips that, quite possibly, our mothers and grandmothers used to charm their grooms. Some of them may seem strange to you, but there are also those that would do well to listen to today.

1. Get a dog and walk with it.

2. Make your car “break” in the right places.

3. Attend night school - courses that men like.

4. Join a hiking club.

5. Look at census reports to find out where the most single men live. For example, in Nevada, for every 100 women there are 125 men.

6. Read obituaries to find the right widower for you.

7. Start playing golf and attend different golf courses.

8. Instead of a big vacation in one place, take several short vacations and go to different places.

9. Sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons.

10. Travel around Europe by bike.

11. Get a job in medical, dental or law school.

12. Become a nurse or flight attendant - they have a very high marriage rate.

13. Ask your friends' husbands if they have available men in their office.

14. Be nice to everyone - they may have a brother or son suitable for you.

15. Get a government job abroad.

16. Become a jury member.

17. Be friendly towards ugly men, because they are judged not by their faces, but by their deeds.

18. Tell your friends that you are interested in marriage. Don't keep it a secret.

19. Get lost at football.

20. Don't accept a job where most of the bosses are women.

21. Get a job in a sports store where you will give presentations on fishing tackle.

22. On a plane, train or bus, do not sit next to women - sit with men.

23. Go to all alumni reunions. Maybe there are widowers there.

24. Don’t be afraid to communicate with more attractive girls - they may have some “remaining men.”

25. Pay a visit to your hometown - maybe the wild guy who lived next door has turned into an eligible bachelor.

26. Don't live with sad women so as not to let them bring you down to their level.

27. Get a part-time job at the convention bureau.

28. Change your apartment from time to time.

29. When traveling, stay in small hotels where it is easier to meet strangers.

30. Learn to draw. Set up an easel on the street in front of the engineering school.

31. Take a short pause when entering the room he is in.

32. Forget about prudence and call him sometimes.

33. Carry a hat box.

34. Wear a Band-Aid - People are always wondering what's wrong.

35. Earn a lot of money.

36. Learn some funny stories and become good at telling them, but make sure you don't tell the same story twice.

37. Go up to him and tell him that you need advice.

38. Drop the handkerchief - it still works.

39. Make your father buy theater tickets, which he will then have to “unexpectedly get rid of.”

40. Stand in the corner and cry quietly. There is a chance that he will come to find out what happened.

41. Don't let him try to remember your name the next time you meet. No “Guess Who?”

42. If you are on vacation, have the bellhop call you by your first and last name loudly.

43. Buy a convertible car. Men like them.

44. Learn to bake delicious apple pies. Bring this pie to the office and let all the eligible bachelors try it.

45. Laugh at his jokes.

46. If among the men you know there is a quiet one, why not “work” him. Who knows, maybe he is a diamond in the rough?

47. “Accidentally” make your purse fly out of your hands and all its contents spill out.

48. Men consider themselves experts in perfume. Ask him which perfume is best for you to use.

49. Choose better glasses - men still disdain girls with glasses - or wear contact lenses.

50. Practice drinking by doing it with your girlfriends first.

51. If you dye your hair, choose a shade and don't change it.

52. Wear heels most of the time - they're sexier.

53. The previous rule does not apply if he is shorter than you.

54. Tell him he is handsome.

55. Take good care of your health. Men don't like sick girls.

56. If you look good in sweaters, wear them on every third date.

57. Dress differently than all the other girls in the office.

58. Take care of your tan.

59. Watch your speech.

60. Go on a diet if you need it.

61. If you're with him, order your steak medium rare.

62. Don't tell him what you're allergic to.

63. European women are good at shooting with their eyes. Practice in front of a mirror.

64. Buy a full-length mirror and take a good look at yourself before you meet him.

65. Change the shade of your stockings and make sure their seams are even.

66. Use a scrub.

67. If he bought you some trinkets and accessories, be sure to wear them.

68. Use an ashtray, do not throw ashes into coffee cups.

69. Hone the skill of introducing yourself, do it gracefully.

70. Don't be too fussy.

71. Stick to your moral principles.

72. Don't whine - girls who whine only get wine alone. 73. Show that you can have fun on a cheap date, but don’t overdo it!

74. Don't let your parents treat him like your potential husband.

75. Ask your parents to disappear while you're having fun.

76. Go on a double date with a happily married couple - show him what it's like.

77. Tell his friends nice things about him.

78. Send his mom a birthday card.

79. Ask his mom to share recipes.

80. Talk to his father about business and agree that taxes are too high.

81. Give gifts to his sister's children from time to time.

82. On the first date, tell him that you are not thinking about marriage.

83. Don't talk about how many children you want.

84. If he is a fisherman, learn how to skin and clean fish.

85. Don't tell him everything about yourself at the very beginning. Save something for later.

86. If you are walking, you don’t need to require him to stop near every store window.

87. Don't tell him how much your clothes cost.

88. Learn to sew and wear something you made with your own hands.

89. Don't gossip about him.

90. Never let him know that he is “the one,” even if you have to spend a night or two at home.

91. Don't be too approachable when he's trying to arrange a date.

92. From the first dates you need to choose a favorite song, it will be associated with your couple.

93. Find out more about the girls he didn't marry. Don't repeat their mistakes.

94. Don't discuss your ex-boyfriends.

95. If you are a widow or divorced, there is no need to discuss your ex-husband.

96. Be flexible. If he decides to go rowing on the lake instead of dancing, go with him, even if you're wearing your best evening dress.

97. If you have a key to Phi Beta Kappa, hide it. Then your little one can play with it. (Phi Beta Kappa is an exclusive society of college students and alumni).

98. Turn heartthrobs into model men, provided they have dignity.

99. Resist the desire to change him - at least until marriage.

100. Know where to draw the line, but do it with grace.

101. Stay innocent, but not stupid.

102. Make your home comfortable for him - large ashtrays, comfortable chairs.

103. Learn to play poker.

104. If he is rich, tell him that you like his money - this will intrigue him.

105. Never let him believe that your career is more important to you than your marriage.

106. Buy him entertaining or symbolic gifts from time to time. But they shouldn't be too expensive.

107. Email him a funny cartoon that will mean something important to both of you.

108. Don’t tell him “dirty” stories.

109. Don't be a "mama's" girl - don't let him think that he will have quarrels with your parents, even if you know that he will.

110. Tell him that the mortality rate among single men is twice as high as among married men.

111. Go to Yel.

112. Get a gun license.

113. If you have a fat mother, say that you take after your father in appearance. If he is also fat, tell him you are adopted.

114. Sneak aboard a warship.

115. Buy a place on a billboard and place your photo and phone number there.

116. Paint your name and number on the roof and add the phrase “honk my horn, pilots.”

117. Start a rumor that you are very desirable.

118. Start drowning on a fancy beach in the middle of the afternoon.

119. Ride the airport bus there and back.

120. Bribe the Ferris wheel operator to get stuck on top of it on purpose.

121. Stand on the corner of a busy street with a lasso in your hands.

122. Carry a camera with you and ask handsome men passing by if they can take your photo.

123. Ask your mother to take male lodgers.

124. Make and sell wigs, bald men are easy prey.

125. Place an ad looking for a male boat co-owner.

126. If you see a man with a flat tire, offer to fix it.

127. Carry a tow chain in your vehicle.

128. Let your office know that you have a bunch of buttons at home and are ready to sew them on for bachelors.

129. Don't marry him if he has too many torn buttons.