Men & hats, women & dresses; a question from the good ol' days?

Question

From the 20's to the 40's the picture of life was unlike anything it is today,which brings us to our question; men wore hats and women wore dresses, a ''rule'' not to be broken. And how man treated woman was different; if a man happened to pass a lady in the street who dropped a belonging , the man was "expected" to pick it up for her; the lady would give thanks, the man would tip his hat and they would part.
In the home, each time a lady entered the room, the men would stand and then take a seat, after the lady was seated.

Just what made it all disappear? And ladies; what do you think of it?

Answer 1

As society progresses, it seems like we are losing our morals, traditions, and good manners with it!! I think it is very sad that in only a fifty year span things could change so differently in our world and society.

For example..When my grandma was in highschool, all of her boyfriends were gentlemen who treated her with respect, and her "friends" really were friends to her, not backstabbers!! My experience in highschool and since has been very different from that of my grandmothers :(

Answer 2

We started moving faster and our jobs took more time and the "niceties" dropped away. It's not bad at all. Women do not need to be treated as if they can't pick up what they've dropped.
It gave the impression that women were weak. Women wanted equality and are still striving toward it. A dress gives the impression that a woman is "accessible" and trousers are a sign of being in charge. No wonder women wanted to wear pants, they're more comfortable, usually more modest and allow the job to get done. As for men wearing hats, they still do, only now it's baseball caps (forward or backward) and the thought of removing them, even at a table is not entertained. I think the hat was a "manners" thing and possibly a status symbol. As we move ever so slowly away from class structure, apparel becomes less important to show "who we are".

Answer 3

Some men are still gentleman like, but we live in 2006, femanists dont want men doing those things for them as it is a sign of us been the weaker sex (pathetic isnt it) Alot of the time when a man does something like that the woman gives him the evil eye or says something along the lines of "I dont need you to do that" so over the years men cant be arsed doing it, and personally I wouldnt if I were a dude, the way some guys have been treated that I have seen for showing chilvarly, I felt so bad for them!

Answer 4

Change is not always a bad thing. In the 20s and 40s, segregation was legal, women could be barred from many kinds of work, and it was okay for bosses to fondle their secretaries. Courtesy costs nothing, and in my experience, people with class still act in very courteous ways. I think it's misleading to try to idealize the "good old days" though.

As an example: I work in a *very* heavily male-dominated field. I'm actually very good at my job, and have earned the admiration and respect of my colleagues. Still, I had to be twice as good at my job to be considered half as good as the rest, even in this day and age. BUT - in the 20s, I would have been laughed out of the personnel office, and in the 40s, I would have held this job only temporarily as "Rosie the Riveter" held hers, and then I would have been sent back to the kitchen when the boys came home from the war.

I find that when I conduct myself with courtesy and grace, I generally find the same kind of treatment coming back to me. I may wear work boots and jeans to work, but I work with a great group of GENTLEMEN.

Answer 5

equal rights and feminism, and no, it's not always a good thing. Men sometimes still hold the door for ladies, but they don't open car doors, they don't tip their hat at a lady, etc... I know that many females today aren't ladies, but when I act like one I expect to be treated like one.

Answer 6

Women's Lib. I think it's fine but I also think that we need to treat all men AND women with respect. If a man dropped something I would pick it up for him and would expect him to do the same for me if the roles were reversed. It's called equality.

Answer 7

I hate to say this, but probably the 60's with women's rights. A lot of women get very indignant if a man were to simply open a door for her these days. Maybe guys don't want to chance of getting screamed out for being "nice" to a woman. I don't think mommies teach their boys that way anymore either. It's simply an era of the past unfortunately. Your lucky today to get (man or woman) to say please and thank you.

Answer 8

We didn't have the gift of hindsight to see how life would be: We fought for our rights to be "equal" and we fought for our rights to be accepted into a "man's world".

Back then we could have walked on the street without fear of being accosted (well, the chance would have been little). Now I dare not go out alone!

"I'm just a girl" by Gwen Stefani/No Doubt tells our story now!

If only we could go back in time, I'd go back.

Answer 9

I think the change in our social structure has changed this, the nuclear family is out. I think while women are more equal, but we lost respect.

Answer 10

some men are still that way, but 95% of them are sorry and lazy no good.....I could go on but I won't. I think they are scared they might do something gentlemanly!!!