My woman crush ❤️

The vintage college lesbian phenomenon you’ve (probably) never heard of!

In the early 1900’s it was a usual college experience for girls to publicly crush on one another. It all sounds rather romantic… minus the locks of hair! 😬

Should we go back to crushing?
A) Yes, it’s super romantic ❤️
B) No, it’s really dated and I don’t want a bundle of hair arriving in the mail unexpectedly 💔

Do you have a crush? Tag them if you’re feeling confident! 😉

#WomenCrushes #LesbianLove #DidYouKnow #queerhistory

Text Sources
Wilk, Rona M. "What's a Crush?" A Study of Crushes and Romantic Friendships at Barnard College, 1900-1920. (2004)

Innes, Sherrie A. Mashes, Smashes, Crushes, and Raves: Woman-to-Woman Relationships in Popular Women's College Fiction, 1895-1915 (1994)

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[bestwitch]

Wait so they unironically supported lesbian relationships because they didn’t think female sexuality was real😂

[mjjason]

My crush is still next to me 45 years later. Now my wife.

[Jo-sgqb]

Me aunt once asked me when was the moment I realized I really do love women and not only have a crush on them, like every girl does with older girls? Girl I had some news for her

[knitwit]

My grandma told me she used to have crushes on girls, like everyone does. Shes been divorced and single for several decades now. My heart aches at the thought that so many women forced themselves into heterosexual relationships and ignored their feelings for other women.

[SierraHarmony]

I told the beautiful, sweet and caring goth girl in high-school that I had a crush on her. She politely told me she was straight but was appreciative that someone thought of her in a girly and pretty way instead of Gothic and dark. Ruth was her name. And she was my first crush.

[ladycaticorn]

This is some adorable queer history. Back before I knew I was bisexual, I would send flowers to my crush and notes and do other things that, in retrospect, were hella romantic. It's funny how women being romantic towards other women is seen as not gay, but if men were to do this for other men, they'd automatically be labeled as such.

[kyndramb]

My Aunts met in college. At softball. 😅 Such a stereotypical lesbian experience.

[rebbecachunn]

Way back I heard it called LUG = lesbian until graduation. I always felt that it was dismissive of women's sexuality.

[ouchpaw]

Yes to crushing, let’s to. I literally got my first crush at university just now, _two weeks before finishing._ I feel utterly betrayed.

[ryanandida]

I went to a catholic all girls high school in the Japanese countryside... queer love was so frowned upon, yet more common than it ever was in any other school I've attended

[saraquill]

Please do a video on Nobuko Yoshiya. She’s the mother of Japanese lesbian fiction, including romances blooming in single sex schools.

[theweirdestfish]

As an aroace person, I think this is about the most clearly crushes have ever been explained to me!
Thank you for sharing this cool part of queer history!!

[luciannebeans]

I was in an all female dorm my first year of undergrad. A few showed interest in me, but I was too self conscious to date women at 18. One was gorgeous, a model. Sigh.

[LittleBabyBoy]

my mom frequently talks about what she calls “girl crushes” it has the same meaning as a crush it was just specifically when she had a crush on a girl, classmate or celebrity for example. The amount of times I’ve told her that she might be bi. She also told me that she tried to convince her friend that they should “practice” kissing. Sadly that didn’t go well and the girl got all homophobic. I have assured her that I’d be fine with a step parent of any gender, and I’ve even joked she might get better with my pronouns if she dated a non binary person

[kittymervine]

my daughter attended a fabulous all female high school. She picked it as it has a reputation for science and math, and unlike other schools... the males did not get all the attention. My MIL and others told me she would end up a LESBIAN if she went. heck, that was all I needed to come up with the tuition!! She did not become a lesbian, and is happily married and one wonderful child, and a very busy scientific career!!

[silversleeper]

My biggest regret from university is I spent so long hanging on to my internal homophobia (product of a religious rural town). I wish I could have interacted more in person with my fellow queers like this. Nowadays I’m back in a rural area and stuck with online interactions.

[trikitrikitriki]

When I came out as a lesbian in 8th grade, my mom said I was probably just confusing my feelings for strong friendship because that's just what relationships with women are like. They're more emotionally intense, often stronger than romantic feelings towards men. I was like,

[Ashtree]

"Do you have a Crush?" .... a Crush no, multiple curshes absolutely 😅

[emilybarclay]

Kinda reminds me of the tradition in private boy’s schools in the U.K. where a younger boy would be the ( I’m queer I swear I’m allowed to say this 😂) ‘fag’ of an older boy, and do things like do his chores, serve him lunch and the older boy would act like a sort of mentor. I can guarantee those relationships didn’t always remain platonic cause these are teenage boys we’re talking about….

[HeatherMantica]

It’s interesting because in a lot of cultures in the past queer love was pretty common and considered innocent and a rite of passage particularly for women. In japan there is a whole concept of girls falling in love with each other as teenagers but its seen as purely romantic (not sexual) and something you “grow out of”. Its very interesting how in some ways being queer is understood as a normal part of life but when it comes to being queer enough to change the status quo its “too much”