In the social context of dating, treating is the practice of providing companionship and intimate activity in exchange for entertainment outings, gifts, and other items of monetary value.
[2][3] Although some reformers in the early 20th century equated treating with prostitution, the young women who engaged in the activity strongly rejected this view and drew sharp distinctions between the two.
The word "treating" began as a political term with the practice of "providing" understood as a means to influence people and gain benefits.
The word's use as a verb in a social context is believed to have originated in the male sphere of saloons when individuals would treat each other to another round of drinks.
In the late 19th century, inexpensive entertainment venues, such as public dance halls, amusement parks, and nickelodeon movie theaters, emerged and flourished in large American cities.
[5] Although the cheap amusements were a major draw, going out for young working-class women still proved difficult due to their low wages, a portion of which was more often than not handed over to support the family.
This lack-of-money issue was dealt with in various ways: some women refrained from going out altogether or limited going out to special occasions, while others depended on friends or their male counterparts to finance their entertainment pleasures.
Treating differed from gold digging in that it was mainly a dating practice utilized to enjoy the entertainments and pleasures of city life and to acquire, perhaps, some desired personal items.
Capote, who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's in the late 1950s, may not have realized the behavior he ascribed to Holly was previously known as treating, as by then the earlier language used to describe the activity had largely disappeared from the American vernacular.