Shapely Ankle Preferr'd

By Francesca Beauman,

Book cover of Shapely Ankle Preferr'd: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad [1695-2010]

Book description

What do women look for in a man? And what do men look for in a woman? And how and why has this changed over the centuries?

Every week thousands of people advertise for love either in newspapers, magazines or online. But if you think this is a modern phenomenon,…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Shapely Ankle Preferr'd as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Tinder and other dating sites may seem like a very modern way to meet a spouse but, as Francesca Beauman’s book Shapley Ankle Preferred demonstrates, people have been advertising for love almost since the first newspaper advertisement was invented. Shapley Ankle shows how matrimonial advertising dramatically changed marriage and courtship. With the invention of these ads, single men and women were no longer dependent on friends and family for their marital futures. Suddenly, they could advertise for the kind of spouse they wanted and thousands did so -- many with amusing specificity.

Some examples include the man looking for a…

From Marcia's list on the history of love and marriage.

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