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29 Terrible Dating Tips For Women From The '80s

How to Be Popular With Boys by Stacy Rubis — an advice book about love, dating, and romance for teenage girls — was published in 1984. Here are 29 of the most ridiculous quotes from the book.

1. "Do you know the one quality boys can't resist? It's innocence."

2. "When you're shy and natural, boys instinctively feel, 'Here's a girl I can believe...She doesn't have anything up her sleeve...She won't hurt me or humiliate me.'"

3. "Boys get an ego boost from your awkwardness. It makes them feel more in control, more manly. And at the same time they get more protective toward shy, trembling you."

4. "Most guys are afraid of a girl saying 'No,' they lose sleep over it. And they go out of their way to avoid the humiliation of rejection, even if it means passing up the chance to have a close girl friend — and being lonely all through high school."

5. "If you appear to be 'boy crazy,' guys won't be crazy about you. They won't trust you or respect you. You might even get a bad reputation. 'Oh, she's so desperate...' or 'She'll go after anything in pants.' None of this will help you become popular."

6. "Sometimes, when [sweet] girls are with a guy, they put up an impenetrable wall. They act hard, or nonchalant, or they are sarcastic. It's just a defense, to be sure, but how are boys supposed to know that? I have girlfriends who are just the shyest, nicest, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly kind of people. And yet I've heard boys ask again and again, 'How could you be friends with her, she's such a snob?' or 'She's so cold, how can you hang around with her?' What a shame that these girls are completely misunderstood."

7. "Many boys think it's sissylike to show affection. They think it's uncool, feminine. And a boy will be darned if he's going to act feminine. So he'll ignore you. Or make crude jokes in your presence. Or flirt with your girl friends instead of you."

8. "Don't tell your girl friends every last detail about your relationship with a boy, at least not in a gossipy way. A guy can feel very embarrassed — and bitter — knowing that your girl friends get a play-by-play each time he calls you, asks you out on a date, or kisses you."

9. "Don't take any chances when getting ready in the morning. Always put effort into looking good. Effort, plain effort, is often the only real difference between average and stunning girls."

10. "Men will always be magnetically attracted to you when you're interesting and accomplished."

11. "Be exotic. Eccentric. Inventive. Witty. Loony. Irreverent. We all have our wild sides. Let yours roam free. There's no better way to catapult into the social limelight — and leave an indelible impression on your classmates' minds."

12. "Boys may be rough and tough. They may chug beer and make a contest out of who can belch the loudest. But they aren't attracted to girls who act crudely. In fact, most boys I know won't go out with a girl who's not a lady."

13. "Be wary of an overtly aggressive gesture that might threaten a boy's sense of masculinity, of him being the one in control."

14. "By letting a guy make the big moves you'll be doing wonders for his ego; when his ego's feeling fine, your life will be brighter, too."

15. "Another good way to turn a crush into the real thing is to determine your man's schedule of classes for the day...Figure it out and arrange when to bump into him...a lot."

16. "The quickest way to a boy's heart is through his ego."

17. "Do not, by any means, hide away in study hall. Do not eat lunch by yourself, or skip lunch altogether. Do not leave school as soon as classes are over."

18. "Even if your stomach is doing flip-flops, even if your hands are shaking, go out anyway. Simply by doing the thing you're most afraid of, you'll get over your fear."

19. "If your school offers courses in woodshop or auto mechanics, take them. Do you know these classes are 99 percent male? You'll have to beat back the scores of boys who will want to help you find the carburetor or change the blade on a saw. It'll lead to a dramatic improvement in your social life for sure!"

20. "Try eating at one of the ethnic food stands in the mall, preferably a taco place where it's hard to discern the ingredients of a meal. Then say to a boy whose plate is piled high, 'What is that you're eating?'"

21. "If you enroll at a college during the normal school year, you can meet older boys who are part-time or evening students. Take accounting, economics, biology, or calculus. The ratio of males to females is always in your favor when you take math/sciences courses."

22. "Ask advice. It's a terrific conversation starter. I learned this brilliant method by watching a girl at my health club. She's extremely unattractive, and yet she's constantly engaged in conversation with the sexiest guys at the gym. You should see this girl operate. She walks straight up to a guy and says demurely, 'I hear you're an accountant, can I ask your advice? I'm having trouble filling out my tax return...'"

23. "If he's at all good looking, send his picture to a modeling agency. It could lead to a promising career. (You'd be surprised how many male models actually got their starts when a kid sister or girl friend send snapshots to a professional agency.)"

24. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, persistence is the key to victory. It's amazing how often the tables turn, and the boy who was hitherto immune to your romantic overtures suddenly starts chasing you!"

25. "People who win out in love again and again are the people who don't take no for an answer. They try harder and they wait longer. And in the end it pays off royally: the 'pursuee' says yes to the 'pursuer,' because true desire is something no sane person can resist."

26. "When you're rude to a guy, you also run the risk of getting a bad reputation — being called a 'bitch' or a 'snob.'"

27. "Though you may think contraception is a mutual responsibility, yours and his, ultimately it's the female body that needs protection."

28. "It's a scientific fact that sex is a primarily biological matter for boys in their teens to early twenties. They are driven by bodily instincts first, feelings second. For girls on the other hand, sex is an emotional matter first, a physical matter second."

29. "Let your guard down. Be gregarious. Don't withdraw into a corner to watch people. This isn't the time to be introspective or grim."