Decoder Ring: The Dating Manual Unlike Any Other

From the moment it was released in 1995, The Rules was
controversial.. Some people loved it—and swore that the dating
manual’s throwback advice helped them land a husband. Others
thought it was retrograde hogwash that flew in the face of decades
of feminist progress. The resulting brouhaha turned the book into a
cultural phenomenon. In this episode, Slate’s Heather Schwedel
explores where The Rules came from, how it became so popular, and
why its list of 35 commandments continue to be so sticky—whether we
like it or not.  Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and
Katie Shepherd. This episode was edited by Willa Paskin. Derek John
is executive producer. Joel Meyer is senior editor/producer.
Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. We’d like to to
thank Benjamin Frisch, Rachel O'Neill, Penny Love, Heather Fain,
Elif Batuman, Laura Banks, Marlene Velasquez-Sedito, Leigh
Anderson, Caroline Smith. We also want to mention two sources that
were really helpful: Labour of Love by Moira Weigel, a paper called
Shrinking Violets and Caspar Milquetoasts by Patricia McDaniel If
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