Young women growing up in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era increasingly found their relationships subject to scrutiny as doctors, parents, teachers, and school administrators began to worry about the so-called abnormal girl. Attempts to suppress the culture of crushes and romantic friendships between young women reflected these larger cultural anxieties about their relationships. But, as notions of normative girlhood began to form, this intense scrutiny of their relationships had a significant impact on their everyday lives. The young women who were navigating this scientific and cultural shift developed a range of innovative strategies from subversively concealing their relationships to boldly pursuing their queer desires.

在镀金时代和进步时代长大的年轻女性越来越多地发现她们的关系受到审查，因为医生、父母、老师和学校管理人员开始担心所谓的异常女孩。试图压制年轻女性之间的暗恋和浪漫友谊文化反映了对她们关系的这些更大的文化焦虑。但是，随着规范少女时代的观念开始形成，对他们关系的这种严格审查对他们的日常生活产生了重大影响。引领这一科学和文化转变的年轻女性制定了一系列创新策略，从颠覆性地隐藏她们的关系到大胆追求自己的酷儿欲望。