The ghosts of dating, past, present and future

What we wore: Bright-coloured minis, hipsters and midriff tops with pom-poms and fringes. Boots.

Where we went: Dance parties, Pool parties, Pot parties.

When he impressed us: By opening our minds and owning a hotted-up car.

How the date ends: With a steamy grope under the lava lamp.

Why we worried: “He slipped an acid trip under my tongue, will he look after me if I freak out?”

60s dater: Denise, 54, Business Consultant

I had boyfriends from the age of 14. A big group of us hung around each other’s places and we often had dance parties. The ground rules were obtuse but specific – a girl could be in a boy’s bedroom, but never sit on his bed. It was like – to occupy that “space”, even innocently, might put us in that “space” in the boy’s mind. Nevertheless, there was “extreme petting” happening. It seemed an accepted part of growing up. Of course, there was a line you weren’t supposed to cross. In the small town where I grew up, it was more like the 40s. The boys never made a move for fear of losing my mother’s respect. I attended university in the city, so I experienced the swinging 60s after all. Some girls never stepped out of line, and some were extremely wild. I was somewhere in the middle. Dating to me was purely about having fun. Luckily, I knew which doctor would prescribe The Pill.

I remember teaming a bright orange wool pantsuit with bright red cowboy boots or lime green elf boots with a pink dress. I felt conservative - perhaps I was in denial.

I never saw the point of illicit drugs, although they were everywhere. I married in 1969 at 20. We broke up after 21 years but we’re still friends and business associates. Being single for the last decade, I think things were a lot simpler in my day. The bloke paid for dinner; we didn’t have huge expectations of his sexual performance or care much about what it “meant” to have sex. You wire sex and love too closely and it just stuffs things up. The 60s were about experimenting and having fun. Hey, the clothes said it all!

70s Date

Who our role models were: Mary Tyler-Moore, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

What we wore: Mini, midi and maxi skirts, hippy gear, slacks and humungous wedgy heels.

Where we went: The Drive-In, The Pub and The Disco