Moira Weigel Books
Moira Weigel is an American writer, historian, and scholar. She earned her Ph.
Known for: Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating
Books by Moira Weigel
Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating
In this cultural history, Moira Weigel explores how dating evolved as a social practice shaped by economic, technological, and gender changes. She traces the origins of modern dating from early twentieth-century courtship rituals to the digital age, showing how love and labor have always been intertwined in the pursuit of romance.
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Early 20th Century Courtship
At the turn of the twentieth century, the idea that a young woman might go out unsupervised with a man, perhaps even one she barely knew, was shocking. Before dating, there was courtship: a domestic, often family-centered affair, conducted within parlors or front porches under parental surveillance....
From Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating
The Commercialization of Romance
Once dating took root, businesses were eager to exploit it. The theater, restaurant, and later the cinema offered ideal venues for romantic display. Capitalism, ever alert to human desires, quickly realized that love could sell everything from lipstick to automobiles. To date was to consume—it requi...
From Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating
About Moira Weigel
Moira Weigel is an American writer, historian, and scholar. She earned her Ph.D. from Yale University and writes on gender, technology, and culture. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
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Moira Weigel is an American writer, historian, and scholar. She earned her Ph.
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