Hey, baby, you are looking mighty fine! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Why don’t you come on over here and show me your stuff?
1956: Knowing What to Do If Whistled At
Boys sometime cluster in groups and whistle at the girls who pass by. Girls often wonder just how to interpret this kind of attention, and what is the best way to respond. Some girls ignore the whistled salute entirely. Others blush and act embarrassed. Some girls toss back a remark that will cause the boys to laugh. These responses tend to perpetuate the practice and do not help the two sexes to enjoy each other as they might. The girl with poise, who accepts the whistle with a friendly smile that is neither embarrassed nor fresh, often helps the boys to feel that she is approachable without being forward.
Boys who whistle at girls usually are those who have not yet learned to enjoy girls as friends. The whistle is the boy’s way of recognizing the girl as a female. If she responds without too obvious coquetry, the boy’s interest in her may be quickened. Moreover, he is not scared off by her forwardness nor amused by her fear. In time a girl not only gains the boy’s respect for her as an individual but also makes friends among those who are most congenial.
Source: Duvall, Evelyn Millis. Facts of Life and Love for Teen-Agers. New York: Association Press, 1956.
~ pp. 120-21 ~