For those who believe women are best left cooking, cleaning and staying chaste, validation lies in films from the ‘50s and ‘60s.

In celebration of National Women’s History month, the A/V Geeks, in conjunction with NCSU Libraries, screened a series of short films concerning the role of women in the D.H. Hill Auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

The A/V Geeks are a group of Raleigh-based film aficionados who salvage and present original videos on 16 mm film.

Skip Elsheimer, A/V Geeks founder and alumnus, screened “The Trouble with Women,” “More Dates for Kay,” “Psychological Differences Between the Sexes,” “The Story of Menstruation” and “Are You Popular?”

“[The films offer] a fascinating look at the past. When you first see the films you laugh, and then you think it’s actually very interesting,” Elsheimer said. “It’s our history. This is where our parents and grandparents come from. All of the things we see today are influenced by these films.” 

The film after which the program was named, “The Trouble with Women,” was something that was developed to show to managers and supervisors in factories. The film was from a series called “Plant Supervisors Problems.” 

In the film, a manager is upset that he keeps getting female employees because they miss work or get married and leave the factory. His boss explains to him that women are just as capable, if not more capable, to work as men, and problems like absenteeism are “all part of life.”

“I think some of them will be surprised at how women in the workplace were perceived. It has always been accepted that women are professionals. The films are kind of funny, but these are serious issues,” said Marian Fragola, the director of program planning and outreach for NCSU libraries. 

The first film, “Are You Popular?” implied that it was shameful for young women to go on dates with multiple men at the same time. One young woman dates multiple men and consequently is not allowed to sit with a group of students at school. 

In the film, the main character goes on a date. A narrator explains that her date likes her because she is “attractive, dresses well, is friendly with everyone and is considerate of other people.”

Elsheimer explained to the viewers that parents were very concerned about their daughters dating because they did not want them to get into serious relationships and engage in sexual activities at a young age. 

“More Dates for Kay” revealed “friendliness, interest and helpfulness were what really counted” when it came to getting dates. One girl offers to make sandwiches for some guys, clean up after a party and help others with homework to get a date. 

“The Story of Menstruation” was an informational film produced by Disney intended for teaching young girls about puberty.

One woman in the audience said she had seen this film as a child at a Girl Scouts meeting. A man had come to set up the film, but he was not allowed to start it, she said. 

“It’s interesting to see how this information is being relayed now and to see how far we’ve come, said Elsheimer. 

“Psychological Difference Between the Sexes” illustrated that physical strength, attitudes and temperaments were what made women and men different. Females always handled situations indirectly and subtly, personalized comments, placed importance on romance, and were generally “touchy.”

“I really liked the film about the psychological differences because it showed that some things don’t really change. Girls still chatter on and worry about what other people think about them. It’s funny,” Sakshi Handa, a sophomore in biological engineering, said.

Elsheimer said women typically watched films like “Psychological Differences Between the Sexes” before getting married. They also trained in home economics. 

Elsheimer said that he believed people, not just women, should still learn the skills that women used to be taught in home economics.

“I had no idea that home-ec even existed or that it used to be a real major,” Alexey Bondarev, a freshman in material science and engineering, said.

The audience laughed at some of the out-of-date lessons the films had to offer.

“It’s interesting that what they would take seriously in the ‘50s is hysterical to us now. It’s also interesting to see the progression of women. Males and females are now equal,” Danny Long, a freshman in mechanical engineering, said.

A/V Geeks holds events monthly and more information can be found on their website, www.avgeeks.com