A
female
age
30-35,
Tremor
writes:After reading an abnormal amount of questions along the lines of "He looked at me, does that mean he likes me?!", I got to thinking about how much easier life could be if there was some sort of way we could communicate emotions without confusion. And then I recalled something I heard about 'the language of the fan'.During Victorian times, ladies apparently used their fans to communicate certain messages, using them as a way to get around the strict etiquette rules of the time. Every gesture had a certain meaning, for example:-Pressing the fan handle to the lips meant 'kiss me'-Hiding the eyes behind an open fan meant 'I love you'-Resting the fan on the right cheek meant 'yes'-Resting it on the left cheek meant 'no'-Holding the fan over the left ear meant 'I want to get rid of you'-Twirling the fan in the right hand meant 'I love someone else'-Drawing the fan through the hand meant 'I hate you'-Presenting the fan shut asked 'Do you love me?'Imagine how much easier things might be if we just gave every girl over 12 a fan and let them go for it. No more of this "How do I tell him I like him?!" business. Like a guy? Just give him a little flutter and he'll know your intentions.Of course, this could all lead to questions like "How fast should I fluttler my fan?" or "What colour fan should I use?", but still, I think it's a pretty novel concept. =)(As a side note, it turns out the whole 'language of the fan' thing was a marketing ploy developed in the 18th century. But it's still kind of appealing). Reply to this Article
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female
reader, Tremor +, writes (17 July 2008):
Tremor is verified as being by the original poster of the question I vaguely remember the series you mean, I think it aired here a while back, but damned if I can remember anything about it.
Here's the website I got it from, if you're interested. There's a few more examples on there, I just picked a few of the more relevant ones:
http://www.handfanpro.com/Allaboutfans/Lang/language.htm
A
female
reader, PsyCookie  +, writes (17 July 2008):
 I had to search about this in my AP English course last year. It was an extra project to to earn extra points for the final exam. I was too lazy to do it.
I was still curious, though, on what the whole "language of the fan" meant. Thanks for taking the time to do this because it was fun reading. Now I know what it is!
Also, I remember that there was a British reality TV where they put adults from this century to a Victorian-century house and they had to learn how to act, behave, and dress according to that period of time. In one of the episodes, both the girls and guys had to learn the language of the fan for an upcoming party. I just wish I could remember the name of the show...
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