Let’s get personal
Before social media, before dating apps, there were personal ads, a department of newspapers’ classified advertising sections that spiced up endless gray columns selling rooms for rent, babysitting services, and “slide rules, new and used.”
A vogue for “personals” rose in the Michigan Daily in the late 1950s and receded in the early ’70s. Ironic and offbeat, sophomoric and silly, romantic and racy, inappropriate and occasionally even intellectual, they offer tiny windows into those fast-changing times.
If any trend persisted, it was insecure guys seeking unattainable girls, often in the wake of a chance encounter that lit a flame in a guy’s romantic imagination. Another perennial: Guys apologizing for dumb things they did the night before. And sometimes the girls replied.
Enjoy this slideshow, which features 40 of the most captivating personals we could find. Most of the ads “speak” for themselves. Others feature captions that provide a little context.
(Click on the arrows in the bottom right corner to view at full screen.)
My back pages
We’d love to hear from anyone who placed or, better yet, answered any of these personal ads! Did anyone find love? Do tell.
Ann Marie Stanley - 2009
Nancy Denner’s name (violist) sounded familiar to me in the Oct 1965 personals. (I’m a musician, Director of the Penn State School of Music.) Sure enough, after googling I realized I met her late husband Pace Sturdevant (trumpet player) at a conference. He was also a Michigan grad. I wonder if he placed the ad! They got married in 1969 while still students apparently. https://harp.ma180.org/march-2025/
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Deborah Holdship
I love that story!
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Kim Kuhlmann - 1973
Very cute. Lonely hearts aside, the best Daily personal ads were the Apartment Five Story snippets that ran around 1971-72. They were funny. Two stick in my mind. I may be paraphrasing – it’s been a while.
If it’s nice out today,
Leave it out.
Did you hear about the new strain of Asian syphilis?
It’s so virulent it eats meat for breakfast.
Get it?
We hope you never do.
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Rick Berke - 1980
I had no idea the Daily had personal ads.
Bravo, Jim!
What a wonderful time capsule.
Some of those come ons are pretty clever.
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James Tobin - 1978, 1986
Thanks, Rick! Strange — I have no memory of reading the Personals that continued into our era! But then, that’s my memory for you.
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