Surprising Australian interview from 1974 shows just how weird it was for women to be in a bar
“You think women are going to be shocked by your language—that’s why you don’t want them in here?"
Surprising interview from 1974 shows how weird it was for women to be in a bar.
Once upon a time, things were weird. This is sure to be a sentiment that children of the future will share about the rules and customs of today, but knowing that fact doesn't stop things from the past from seeming a bit strange. In a rediscovered video clip of an Australian *gasp* female reporter in a bar in 1974, it's clear pretty quickly that she's out of place.
It's almost as if she's describing her movements like Steve Irwin would do when approaching a wild animal in its natural habitat. Her tone is even and hushed as she makes her way into the bar telling viewers how she's going to make her way to the barkeep, who also looks to be a woman. So I guess women were allowed to work in bars but not drink in them?
Honestly, that part was a little confusing for me but seemed the norm by the reporter's reaction. But what was not normal was a woman squeezing between men and ordering a drink and the men letting the reporter know that the bar was no place for a woman...unless you're the bartender. Who knows? 1974 was a wild year apparently.
After being served her glass of water, the reporter notices a patron's reaction and flat out asks if he has an objection to her being in the bar. To no one's surprise, he does, but it's not for the reason you may think. "If I want to talk or swear or something like that and there's a woman standing behind me, you can't, can you?" the man says. When she asks another man why he has a problem with women at the bar, the answer is pretty much the same. The men don't seem to want to offend the delicate sensibilities of women.
Now, I was not alive in the 70s and I'm not Australian, so I guess I'm a poor resource for what was happening around then. But did women not swear in 1974? Would these men be appalled that most women now swear just as much, if not more, than they do? There are so many questions I have, but the video doesn't end there.
At one point, a more progressive man tells her that women and men should be welcomed into the bar. But just as he's getting passionately into his answer, the reporter has to fend off the hand of a man behind her who decided to "show her" what happens when women go into bars.
The entire video is a bit of a wild ride. Watch it below:
