A Guide to Girl Watching Part 2: A 1959 Magazine That Gives Creepy Tips to Stalk Girls

The year is 1959. Elvis Presley is topping the charts, poodle skirts are all the rage, and a magazine called “Girl Watcher ” released its second edition. On the surface, it looks like any other pinup magazine of the era, filled with images of smiling women in swimsuits. But a closer look reveals something much more sinister lurking beneath the surface.

It actively encouraged men to stalk and “collect” them, using language that would make anyone today cringe. Articles like “Some Advanced Field Notes on Stalking The Girl” and “More About Collecting Pretty Girls” weren’t subtle.

A “Joke” Gone Too Far

The creators of Girl Watcher magazine likely intended this as a joke, a parody of the popular Mad Magazine. But humor is subjective, and what they found funny was anything but for many women then and now. The magazine’s content crossed the line from satire into something much darker.

The most troubling aspect of ‘Girl Watcher’ wasn’t just its explicit instructions on how to stalk women. It was the casual way it normalized this behavior. The magazine’s tone was lighthearted and playful, as if stalking was just a harmless hobby. This normalization is dangerous because it downplays the serious consequences of unwanted attention and harassment.

The 1950s was a time of rigid gender roles and societal expectations. Women were often seen as objects to be admired, pursued, and possessed by men. This magazine was a product of that time, a reflection of the attitudes and beliefs that were prevalent in society.