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Dating in the modern age is a minefield, especially in the digital era with apps, texting, and entirely new codes of technological behavior in the mix. There are a lot of things to think about—you have to pick the right platforms, figure out how to properly construct your profile to attract the right kind of people, and not fall for any false advertisements. You also have to navigate texting (how soon is too soon to reply?), cope with the inevitability of being ghosted, and deal with a lot of things that are separate from actually meeting someone.

Because of all these new complications, we seem to have a romanticized idea of dating in the past. In our collective imagination, romance "back then" was filled with meet-cutes, chivalry was alive and well, and there was an added air of mystery because you couldn't stalk a person's entire digital history online. Plus, you could lie about your age!

But in all seriousness, dating in the 21st century is nothing compared to the strict social codes permeating the first half of the 20th century. Magazine columns and entire books were dedicated to teaching young folks the proper etiquette when it came to courting and being courted. While very detailed and highly regarded at the time, those guides have not aged well in the least.

From shockingly sexist gender roles to hilariously ridiculous things that were considered in "bad taste," nearly every single one of these rules should be broken in today's age. You may be surprised at how far we've come since the 1930s, '40s, and even '50s, though it's equally surprising just how many people relied upon these guides to determine another person's character.

Check out this gallery to see the most bizarre etiquette rules from not-long-ago-enough, and revel in the dating freedom we have today.

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An issue of Woman's Own included a guide that advised its readers on the best ways to get through three courses without running into an etiquette disaster. Prepare yourself for some bizarre rules...

▲Whether he’s your father, brother, or boyfriend. In addition, the woman can never independently ask the waiter for anything.

▲If you do drop your knife, you must ask the waiter for a new one (unless, of course, you're a woman, in which case you have to ask a man to ask). Do not, under any circumstance, pick it up.

▲Apparently it's "embarrassing."

▲It can "quite correctly" be eaten with the hands, provided that it has been cut up into "reasonably small pieces" beforehand.

▲It is apparently too "difficult to manage."

▲It’s in bad taste to leave lipstick on a glass or a napkin. But do wear lipstick!

▲For instance, you should never use a fork and knife with asparagus.

▲Cherries, however, should be "put into the mouth whole and the stones carefully placed on a spoon."

▲Neither your coat, hat, handbag, nor gloves should be placed on the totally empty chair serving absolutely no purpose. Instead, your coat goes on the back of your chair, and the rest on your lap.

▲Call the waiter to do it. Unless, of course, you're a woman, in which case you must ask a man to call the waiter.

▲Because it’s humiliating for them, and you wouldn't want to make them feel bad for spilling scalding soup on your favorite outfit.

▲"Tipping it towards you is the height of bad manners," as is scooping the spoon towards you as opposed to away from you.

▲You must always cut off a small piece and "place it carefully on to a small piece of bread," with a constant emphasis on the "small."

▲Somehow putting an elbow on the table is on par with combing your hair at the table.

▲She just has to trust that the man is following behind her.

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Parade magazine also offered some advice in 1938, like warning women to never try to get a man to say something honest and true "by working on his emotions." Lest we forget, of course, "men don’t like tears, especially in public places."

▲But, surprisingly, only on the condition that you need one.

▲"Man needs it in driving, and it annoys him very much to have to turn around to see what’s behind him."

▲It should be noted that the magazine's example of awkward was a woman with her legs uncrossed and her arm resting on the armrest. How "mannish" and awkward!

▲It adds, "even if you are."

▲Why? "To keep your allure." Makeup must also be applied in privacy, so as to keep the illusion that your lips are actually that red.

▲"Don’t be familiar with the headwaiter talking about the fun you had with someone else another time. Men deserve your entire attention," and they couldn’t bear the thought of you having a life without them!

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Getting introduced to your partner's parents can be a pretty big step in a relationship. In the '50s, however, it was customary for girls to introduce all dates to their parents first.

▲When meeting the parents before a date, guys were supposed to ask them when they wanted their daughter back home. Wearing a watch was both practical and a marker of responsibility for those looking for a second date.

▲Because all men apparently hate clothes, and a woman should "please and flatter" her man by talking about the things he wants to talk about.

▲"For when a man dances he wants to dance."

▲In her 1939 book 'How to Win and Hold a Husband,' Dorothy Dix puts it bluntly: "Don’t talk too much and, above all, don’t talk about yourself, ever. Men have a horror of girls who babble on forever and ever like a brook. Men like to talk about themselves and what they want is an intelligent listener."

▲Their lives must always be put more at risk should danger ensue.

▲Any show of affection is in bad taste and will embarrass or humiliate him—because men hate being touched, right?

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Dix’s book also says that if you call a guy during work, "he will hate you for it, because you are jeopardizing his job. … There is no surer way for a girl to make herself unpopular with men than to be a telephone hound."

▲Dix adds: "Before succumbing to the inevitable she might give herself one more chance by making a change in her environment. Many a girl who is a social failure at home is a success abroad."

▲Dix advises women over 30 to do the courting themselves. They should "pick out the particular men they desire to have for husbands and go in for a whirlwind campaign. Virtually any woman can marry any man if she will just go after him hard enough, provided she never lets him suspect that she is being the aggressor."

▲This is still pretty standard today, but the reason ruins it: "A man expects you to keep your dignity … drinking may make some girls clever, but most get silly."

▲If a woman tried to pay for a date, it would be humiliating for a man.

▲Don't pass out from too much liquor! "Chances are your date will never call again."

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A 1938 article in Mademoiselle magazine reportedly advised college freshman to create an image of popularity, going as far as to get your mom to send you flowers and shutting the lights when you’re in your dorm at night so it looks like you’re out.