Goddammit MaryJo, how TF do you expect everyone to remember all this shit? Just use your words!

If I ever see someone holding a fan, I’ll pull this cool guide out. I don’t think it will happen, but maybe.

This is clearly a modern remake, but this actually was a thing:

1866, Cassell’s Magazine: https://ntsusa.org/fan-victorian-flirting/

I read the title and assumed it was about meeting celebrities at conventions or something. Then I skipped over the first “in” from the first 2 points and was really confused.

This could only go one way: My brain wandering off and I’m meanwhile fidgeting with the fan and sending everyone around me veeery mixed signals.

Fanning slowly – “I am married.”

Fanning quickly – “I am engaged.”

Using as a fan – “Introduce me to your company.”

…?

I have to wonder who came up with this. One would imagine it was just some idea someone had and they published a whole etiquette book about it, and it slowly but forcefully caught on from there, because otherwise I can’t imagine this just being a thing that evolves spontaneously in a way everyone equally understands. Imagine sitting all the way across the room at a ball or something and witnessing someone break up with their boytoy through body language. With perfect clarity for all to see. You might as well just say it out loud.

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