Pamela Anne Quiroz is currently, the executive director of the national consortium, the Inter University Program on Latino Research, director of the University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American Studies and CLASS Distinguished Professor of sociology. Her research focuses on identity, family and youth.

Delayed marriage, advances in life span, increased geographic mobility, and the likelihood of divorce have all contributed to an ever-increasing pool of Americans seeking to date at various stages in their lives. A popular mechanism to identify and attract a date (and perhaps a potential mate) has been the use of public personal advertising. Quiroz examines the evolution of this tool—from print ads in the late 1800s to digital media today—focusing especially on the role technology has played since 1996. Through content analysis of personal advertisements and user profiles on online dating services, in-depth interviews with women who advertise, and participant observation at different dating events, the author demonstrates how continuously evolving technology increasingly shapes dating and mating opportunities and outcomes. ...offers readers some useful insights about the quest for modern romance...recommended”—Choice

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsTablesIntroduction: Personal Advertising: Dating, Mating, and Relating in Modern Society1. From ­­­Mail-Order and Picture Brides to Dating Apps and Couples Massage: The Evolution of Personal Advertising2. “Can’t Buy Me Love?”: The Intersection of Romance with Science and Commerce3. “Doing Identity” in Personal Advertising4. The Color of Love: Black and Latina Ad Placers5. Building Trust in a Distrusting Society6. Speed Dating: The Adult Version of Musical Chairs7. Serendipity in Personal Advertising: Couples Yoga, Couples Massage and Adult Dating “Classes”8. Dating Apps: Finding Love Just Around the Corner9. Personal Advertising in the Age of ­­­Covid-19Appendix: MethodsSociological Studies of Personal AdsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

Pamela Anne Quiroz is currently, the executive director of the national consortium, the Inter University Program on Latino Research, director of the University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American Studies and CLASS Distinguished Professor of sociology. Her research focuses on identity, family and youth.

Delayed marriage, advances in life span, increased geographic mobility, and the likelihood of divorce have all contributed to an ever-increasing pool of Americans seeking to date at various stages in their lives. A popular mechanism to identify and attract a date (and perhaps a potential mate) has been the use of public personal advertising. Quiroz examines the evolution of this tool—from print ads in the late 1800s to digital media today—focusing especially on the role technology has played since 1996. Through content analysis of personal advertisements and user profiles on online dating services, in-depth interviews with women who advertise, and participant observation at different dating events, the author demonstrates how continuously evolving technology increasingly shapes dating and mating opportunities and outcomes. ...offers readers some useful insights about the quest for modern romance...recommended”—Choice

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsTablesIntroduction: Personal Advertising: Dating, Mating, and Relating in Modern Society1. From ­­­Mail-Order and Picture Brides to Dating Apps and Couples Massage: The Evolution of Personal Advertising2. “Can’t Buy Me Love?”: The Intersection of Romance with Science and Commerce3. “Doing Identity” in Personal Advertising4. The Color of Love: Black and Latina Ad Placers5. Building Trust in a Distrusting Society6. Speed Dating: The Adult Version of Musical Chairs7. Serendipity in Personal Advertising: Couples Yoga, Couples Massage and Adult Dating “Classes”8. Dating Apps: Finding Love Just Around the Corner9. Personal Advertising in the Age of ­­­Covid-19Appendix: MethodsSociological Studies of Personal AdsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

Pamela Anne Quiroz is currently, the executive director of the national consortium, the Inter University Program on Latino Research, director of the University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American Studies and CLASS Distinguished Professor of sociology. Her research focuses on identity, family and youth.

Delayed marriage, advances in life span, increased geographic mobility, and the likelihood of divorce have all contributed to an ever-increasing pool of Americans seeking to date at various stages in their lives. A popular mechanism to identify and attract a date (and perhaps a potential mate) has been the use of public personal advertising. Quiroz examines the evolution of this tool—from print ads in the late 1800s to digital media today—focusing especially on the role technology has played since 1996. Through content analysis of personal advertisements and user profiles on online dating services, in-depth interviews with women who advertise, and participant observation at different dating events, the author demonstrates how continuously evolving technology increasingly shapes dating and mating opportunities and outcomes. ...offers readers some useful insights about the quest for modern romance...recommended”—Choice

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsTablesIntroduction: Personal Advertising: Dating, Mating, and Relating in Modern Society1. From ­­­Mail-Order and Picture Brides to Dating Apps and Couples Massage: The Evolution of Personal Advertising2. “Can’t Buy Me Love?”: The Intersection of Romance with Science and Commerce3. “Doing Identity” in Personal Advertising4. The Color of Love: Black and Latina Ad Placers5. Building Trust in a Distrusting Society6. Speed Dating: The Adult Version of Musical Chairs7. Serendipity in Personal Advertising: Couples Yoga, Couples Massage and Adult Dating “Classes”8. Dating Apps: Finding Love Just Around the Corner9. Personal Advertising in the Age of ­­­Covid-19Appendix: MethodsSociological Studies of Personal AdsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex