Language of the Fan

Veering off from my usual subject, I'd like to share this with you.

In the late 19th to early 20th century Philippines, the high society young Filipinas would use their fans, a staple accessory, to communicate things that societal norms didn't allow them to. Different ways of opening, fanning, closing etc would serve as codes for what the women would want to say.

I learned of this just recently from this book - Fashionable Filipinas: An Evolution of the Philippine National Dress in Photographs. I'm sure the "Language of the Fan" is no secret, but since I thought it was so cool, maybe others would to.