Real Talk - Are You Too Young to Marry?

Hey there! I'm back! So good to see you! I had a very productive last bit of Summer, but you better believe me -- I missed you guys (or missed y'all as I'm supposed to be practicing now that I live in Nashville). I was going to share a sequential story with you today, but I came across this absolute gem of an advice piece a bit ago, and I just couldn't hold it back any longer!

The two-page "Are You Too Young To Marry?" from Girls' Romances #149 (June 1970) may look a little long and boring, but believe me -- it isn't. You will thank yourself later for reading it, as I believe it may change your perspective a bit on the romance comics of this period. The title question, "Are you too young to marry?" is completely rhetorical. The unknown author of this piece (hailing from the Girls' Romances editorial staff) was out to convince readers that they were indeed too young to marry. Advising young ladies to enjoy their youth, this article is decidedly feminist and ahead of its time. In an era when women in the United States did tend to get married much earlier than they do today, this article encourages female children to be just that -- children. Seeing that romance comics were a form of entertainment that so often depicted young marriages, this promotion of the sanctity of childhood is comforting; especially since we know little girls as young as nine years old were reading these comic books. 

I think at times, we are too harsh on this time period, and certainly, romance comics have been blanketed with a bad rap for depicting mores that we as citizens of the 21st century may find hard to understand. "Are You Too Young To Marry?" is, in my opinion, one of the best advice pieces ever published in the romance comics. And though we aren't as concerned with teen marriage in the United States today as we once were, this piece has some excellent points that resonate still.  

Want more dating and marriage advice? Check out my book How to Go Steady on Amazon!