Women's Self-Defense Class from 1947 Is Awesome

Leg, People, Performing arts, Entertainment, Standing, Photograph, Monochrome, Style, Dress, Monochrome photography,

(Image credit: Archives)

published 8 April 2015

When you hear the stories about what women were typically like in the first half of the 20th century, the depiction is often of dainty, defenseless, delicate little flowers who would have fainted at the mere sight of danger.

But a video that's been making the rounds on the internet today—depicting what seems to be a self-defense class in 1947—proves that even then women could whip out some serious moves.

The techniques themselves don't seem to differ very much from self-defense tactics today, it's just that the instructor is doing them in heels without even breaking a sweat which makes the whole thing extra badass. Because, really, try asking a man to go boxing in stilettos. That's a woman's strength.

You should also check out:

Watch This Woman Recreate 100 Years of Beauty Looks in One Minute

The Lost Art of Getting Ready: 18 Pretty Pictures of Women Primping

The 6 Most Badass Women in History You've Never Heard of Before

My writing has regularly appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Salon, VICE, Guernica, The New York Observer, BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Esquire, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more publications. I was previously the Senior News Editor at Best Life Online and the Viral Content Editor in the Newsroom of Hearst Digital Media. My portfolio consists of a vast and diverse body of work that includes personal essays, lifestyle articles, breaking news posts, and viral content. My areas of expertise, however, are Russia, sex and relationships, and mental wellness.

Latest in Culture