Labor of Love

The Invention of Dating

By: Moira Weigel

Narrated by: Kyra Miller

"Does anyone date anymore?"

Today the authorities tell us that courtship is in crisis. But when Moira Weigel dives into the history of sex and romance in modern America, she discovers that authorities have always said this.

Ever since young men and women started to go out together, older generations have scolded them: That's not the way to find true love. The first women who made dates with strangers were often arrested for prostitution; long before "hookup culture", there were "petting parties"; before parents worried about cell phone apps, they fretted about joyrides and "parking".

Dating is always dying. But this does not mean that love is dead. It simply changes with the economy. Dating is, and always has been, tied to work. Lines like "I'll pick you up at six" made sense at a time when people had jobs that started and ended at fixed hours. But in an age of contract work and flextime, many of us have become sexual freelancers, more likely to text a partner, "u still up?"

Weaving together over 100 years of history with scenes from the contemporary landscape, Labor of Love offers a fresh feminist perspective on how we came to date the ways we do. This isn't a guide to "getting the guy". There are no ridiculous "rules" to follow. Instead Weigel helps us understand how looking for love shapes who we are and hopefully leads us closer to the happy ending that dating promises.

©2016 Moira Weigel (P)2016 Recorded Books

amazing

when I first bought this book, I was thinking it was going to be about how hard relationships can be, and how to work on them to make them better. I was surprised when it turned out to be more about the history of dating and American cultural norms behind it. the book was so informative, I loved it. it was very sociologically oriented to study the dynamics between two people who are dating or married. It was quite enjoyable.

at times, it was kind of hard to follow whether or not the narrator was reading a quote from another study or not, but other than that, I would highly recommend it.

Unexpected Destroyer of Internalized Misogyny

Fascinating history. Thoughtful social commentary. Destructive to misogyny - especially heretofore unrealized internalized misogyny.

More than just a history of dating

I was expecting a history of dating but got a lot more, all of which I found interesting. It provided lots of food for thought.

I'm surprised I liked it as much as I did because if there was any structure, I couldn't really find it. It jumped around from different subjects, eras, gay, straight, black, white, hookup culture, video dating and online dating, the summer of love, Sex and the Single Girl, objectification of women. You name it, it was there!

Poses all of the hard questions about love

A book that is much more serious and well-researched than the cover suggests.

It’s light-hearted and funny at times but seriously examines the history of dating and gender relations from a feminist perspective that’s both academic enough for college-level feminists to appreciate while being widely accessible to the layperson.

In fact this book uses love and the awkwardness of modern dating, as the perfect segue into deeper examination of sexism, patriarchy and equality. Highly recommended.

What a great audible!

From beginning to middle and and end, this audible had me inganged. It dropped knowledge about "love" from way back in the day til now- the modern digital era. Drawing from scientific data and other well known sourcessource. It gave me a new way to not only look at love but perhaps a new way to pursuit it. Highly recommend it!!