Social Etiquette: Then and Now
Campus Cues served as an instructional reading for undergraduate students at the University of Illinois. Irene Pierson’s goal in writing this book, and the book’s thesis, was to educate the students about social etiquette in certain specific situations that they might face during their time on campus. Pierson explains in her introduction that, in order to answer the most prevalent questions, she held a Social Forum attended by sorority and fraternity members. She compiled these questions and answered them. Irene Pierson believed firmly that everyone should adhere to social norms. Campus Cues was distributed to the undergraduate population of the University of Illinois in 1948. Written in question and answer form, the book was used as a guide for students to navigate certain social situations they would encounter during their time at the university. Undergraduates valued Pierson’s advice. The instructional book is a way for readers in the present day to learn about social etiquette during the 1940s through the 1960s.
Irene Pierson was a very active and social student during her time at the University of Illinois. She successfully became the first female president of the Student Senate. Later, she also became the social director of the Illini Union from 1940-1963. Now, the University of Illinois gives out a scholarship in her honor (Irene Pierson Award). In her dedication she hints to the fact that many people begged her to write Campus Cues and constantly badgered her for help with their social problems. This dedication shows that she was viewed as socially competent and an expert in the rules of society. The university now offers an award to undergraduates in her honor. She valued social etiquette and the wellness of others. Her values matched up with majority of the people of her day.
In the 1940’s people were very concerned with their social standing and the way in which they behaved. There was a rule for how to behave regarding every aspect of daily life. In 1948, the same year that Campus Cues was published, Vogue published its own book on etiquette (Hilariously Outdated Rules from Vogue’s 1948 Book of Etiquette). Similarities between these two sources legitimize Campus Cues as a source for determining correct etiquette. Without recognizing the equivalency with Vogue’s 1948 Book of Etiquette, Pierson’s book could be written off as radical and insane when viewed by readers and critics of the present era. But the fact that there are multiple books on the subject of etiquette during this era, Campus Cues gains credibility. The book was also reissued in the fifties and sixties. Rules about how one should act remained similar during that twenty year span of time. In the present day, women are offended by their school’s dress code. The Smithsonian found a document from a high school that was a full page in length chronicling the harsh dress code imposed on men of that time period (Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 1). Men could not wear denim pants or tennis shoes and trousers had to be worn with a belt among other rules. Although Campus Cues is directed towards women, there is also a sufficient amount of advice geared towards the male undergraduate population. Irene Pierson was determined to educate the entire undergraduate population on proper etiquette.
People were sure that Pierson was a good source for information about social etiquette that when she set up a time for the Social Forums people attended. Fraternity and sorority members alike showed up to these scheduled forums to provide Pierson with a basis for content within her informational guide. From these questions, the author was able to come up with categories that these inquiries fell into. Ranging from situations like blind dates all the way to what happens after the altar, the book covers it all. Detailed answers about phone calls, hospital visits and giving gifts show readers and archivists in this day and age that people took social etiquette very seriously back then.
All the questions and answers that are posed throughout the book strengthen Pierson’s thesis that everyone should conduct themselves in a certain manner. Particular words, labeled as qualifiers, might be perceived as limiting the thesis. But when these words are used, they are only to suggest that certain events being described are hypothetical. Pierson does not want to state that all events in the book must happen to every individual. For example, she answers questions about what to do in the event of a hospital visit. Although it is very likely that everyone will have to visit a sick friend at some point, it should not be assumed that every single person will do so in their lifetime. Although there are qualifiers within this piece they do not negate the thesis as a whole.
Campus Cues is a time capsule, a portal into days past. Poodle skirts and dance cards were seen all over the college campuses and communication was done mainly in person instead of behind a screen. Nowadays, some women cringe at the thought of a man opening the door for her or paying for the date. Whereas, during the time period when the book was written, certain acts that are now thought of as sexist were regarded as necessary and proper. Irene Pierson elevated herself to the level of social educator and distributed her knowledge to the student body. Undergraduates took her advice and lived their lives as she informed them to.