Today we tend to think of ourselves as pretty sexually aware and we also think of people from the past as being absolutely clueless at best or, at worst, intolerably prudish. The truth is that people have been doling out sex advice since the dawn of mass market newspapers and magazines so we have a wealth of information dating back to the 1800s and beyond.
In the 1930s the country was in the middle of the worst economic depression in history with people struggling to even survive but nonetheless, they still wanted help on how to have fun between the sheets. Here we’ve gathered together some of the best of those sex tips to determine which are still in use today and which are nothing more than a humorous footnote in our collective sexual history.
How a Wife Should Undress
Performing a strip tease has always been a turn on for both men and women and while today we’re used to pole dancing in the bedroom, back in the 1930s, it was all about the art of undressing. Women all over the country wanted to know exactly what to do but the 30s weren’t exactly known for over the top displays of sexiness. That is until LIFE magazine came along and hired a burlesque dancer to pose for a series of photographs that women could use as a template for how to undress in the sexiest way possible. While these photos seem a bit tame when compared to today’s standards, they are still the perfect foundation for any woman to learn how to be sexy.
Strictly Come Dating
Dating tips from this era can make going out seem too difficult to even bother. Some enforce gender roles which are now seen as being laughably outdated such as advising women to never propose a date or attempt to pay for anything. Others however, prove that not much has changed over the years. Some of the better pieces of advice include avoiding being overly sentimental on a first date and avoiding staring into your mirror (or, today, your cell phone) and ignoring your date. These tips can still be used today but the photos they chose to illustrate their points leave a bit to be desired.
Don’t Be (Quite) So Modest
Perhaps the most surmising piece of sex advice from this time is also the most relevant today. Back in the 1930s there was a series of advertisements that advocated for women to not only become more knowledgeable about sex but also to not be overly modest – a truly progressive and controversial idea at the time. These ads were aimed at women who found themselves in marriages where they were being given the cold shoulder and they offered ways to solve the problem – loosen up! Today this advice is just as true and also show that there’s a happy medium between leaving a bit to the imagination and going overboard on either extreme.
By and large, sex advice from this time illustrates not only how far we’ve come in terms of sexual liberation and an open dialogue about human sexuality, but also that there are many truths from the past which are still relevant today. It also illustrates how often we use sex as a way to distract ourselves from bigger problems as illustrated by the abundance of sex advice dating back to some of the country’s darkest times. What can we learn from this advice today? That basic rules of kindness, communication and an air of adventure can improve the sex life of just about anyone and that dating, relationships and sexuality have never been easy no matter what the time and place.
