Abigail Van Buren (her real name was Pauline Friedman Phillips) ran a newspaper advice column called “Dear Abby” for many years, as did her identical twin sister, Esther. Esther’s column was called “Dear Ann Landers,” and was almost as successful as her sister’s column. In these columns, people would write in and ask all sorts of questions and the sisters were known for quick and witty comebacks as well as genuine advice. The two sisters had different styles, but both were read by millions of people. Ann Landers responded to her readers with detailed, homey advice, while Abby’s advice was often risque and flippant, and some were excellent one-liners. Below, you’ll see some
1.
Dear Abby, I have a man I can’t trust. He cheats so much, I’m even sure the baby I’m carrying is his.
2.
Dear Abby, A couple of women moved in across the hall from me. One is a milddle=aged gym teacher and the other is a social worker in her mid-twenties. These two women go everywhere together and I’ve never seen a man go into or leave their apartment. Do you think they could be Lebanese?
3.
Dear Abby, What can I do about all the sex, nudity, fowl language, and violence on my VCR?
4.
Dear Abby, I am a twenty-three-year-old liberated woman who has been on the pill for two years. It’s getting expensive and I think my boyfriend should share half the cost, but I don’t know him well enough to discuss money with him.
5.
Dear Abby, I’ve suspected that my husband has been fooling around, and when confronted with the evidence, he denied everything and said it would never happen again.
6.
Dear Abby, Our son writes that he is taking Judo. Why would a boy who was raised in a good Christian home turn against his own?
7.
Dear Abby, I joined the Navy to see the world. I’ve seen it. Now how do I get out?
8.
Dear Abby, My forty-year-old son has been paying a psychiatrist $50 an hour every week for two and a half years. He must be crazy.
9.
Dear Abby, I was married to Bill for three months and I didn’t know he drank until one night he came home sober.
10.
Dear Abby, My mother is mean and short-tempered and I think she is going through mental pause.
11.
Our son was married in January. Five months later his wife had a 10-pound baby girl. They said the baby was premature. Tell me, how can a baby that big be that early?
12.
Dear Abby, You told some women whose husband had lost all interest in sex to send him to a doctor. Well, my husband lost all interest in sex and he is a doctor. Now, what do I do?
