The Anti-Flirt Club

The Anti-Flirt Club was an American club that began in Washington, D.C., during the early 1920s. After being subjected to unwelcome attention from men in ‘automobiles and on street corners,’ a group of women, led by President Alice Reighly, formed the club to protect young girls and women from further embarrassment and discomfort. A list of rules were created and issued to all of the members:

1. Don’t flirt: those who flirt in haste oft repent in leisure.

2. Don’t accept rides from flirting motorists—they don’t invite you in to save you a walk.

3. Don’t use your eyes for ogling—they were made for worthier purposes.

4. Don’t go out with men you don’t know—they may be married, and you may be in for a hair-pulling match.

5. Don’t wink—a flutter of one eye may cause a tear in the other.

6. Don’t smile at flirtatious strangers—save them for people you know.

7. Don’t annex all the men you can get—by flirting with many, you may lose out on the one.

8. Don’t fall for the slick, dandified cake eater—the unpolished gold of a real man is worth more than the gloss of a lounge lizard.

9. Don’t let elderly men with an eye to a flirtation pat you on the shoulder and take a fatherly interest in you. Those are usually the kind who want to forget they are fathers.

10. Don’t ignore the man you are sure of while you flirt with another. When you return to the first one you may find him gone.

The ladies attempted to take this a step further, and launched an “Anti-Flirt” week, which began on March 4, 1923. Unfortunately, it was the first, and only since.

Some sound advice that made me smile and nod in agreement, which I believe is still extremely relevant nearly 100 years later.

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Image source: Wikipedia