Do you have a friend you always turn to for advice and who gives you a patient car? And does sharing your concerns – sometimes in the strictest confidence- make you feel better? However, sometimes we are too afraid to seek even our friend’s help. That’s why newspapers and magazines offer help through advice columns. But did you know that these columns, known as agony aunt columns, started more than 200 years ago? Or that the first agony aunts were actually uncles?
In 1691, an English publisher named John Dunton launched the “Athenian Gazette”. The periodical carried a column readers turned to for advice. Often the readers sent in their queries without revealing their identity.
The column was in the question-and-answer format. Questions came in from readers on subjects that ranged from religion to philosophy to personal lives. They were answered by Dunton and some of his friends.
How they evolved
Such columns soared in popularity in the 1900s. They struck a chord with the readers. Newspapers and magazines used them to interact with their readers.
The authors of these columns were not necessarily experts, but anyone with the gift of the gab especially those who could come up with witty and humorous responses.
Often the authors themselves kept their identity hidden. Sometimes the columns were written by a team of authors under a common pseudonym. The agony aunts doled out advice on a wide range of topics from mental health and relationships to homemaking and socialising. Readers found these columns comforting, as they echoed their own sentiments and concerns. Some of the popular advice columns of the 1900s were “Dear Abby”, “Dear Prudence”, and “Ask Polly”.
In India, the ’80s and the ’90s were considered the golden age of advice columns and many celebrities and socialites played agony aunts. Television actress Priya Tendulkar ran the “Priya’s Helpline” in The Indian Express and the column was known to receive 500 letters per week. Theatre director Pearl Padamsee’s agony aunt column for Femina, and socialite Bina Ramani’s “Very Personal” column for the Asian Age were equally popular.
While most of these columns were light-hearted, some of them tackled serious issues and were handled by experts such as medical doctors and psychologists.
New avatar
Advice columns continue to run even today albeit in a new avatar. They are no longer restricted to the print medium alone. Television shows and radio channels too have segments dedicated to answering questions from readers on various topics. There are also many agony aunt podcasts available online. For instance, Slate magazine has revived the “Dear Prudence” columns in the form of podcasts.
Social media too has not been left behind. Some websites and apps offer advice in real-time to users.
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