rules of etiquette

in this day and age, traditional rules of etiquette are rarely observed. nowadays, a man is just as likely to hold the door open for a woman as he to let it slam in her face. likewise, some women are inclined to become insulted and feel belittled on the occasion when the door is held open for her. personally, I'm all for chivalry. granted, I believe in equal rights when it comes to employment, pay, promotions, voting, owning land etc... but it's nice to be treated like a lady. to quote the effervescent character of blanche devereaux, "i don't want to be treated equally to you, I want to be treated a whole lot better than you!" here are some rules of conduct that I feel should make a comeback:

1. opening doors.
whether it be to a building or a car, having the door held open for me always makes me smile. it shows respect, and shows that women are held in high regard, which is nice in a day and age where it occurs so seldomly.

2. paying for the check
or atleast offering to. personally, when I was still dating it made me uncomfortable to allow someone to pay for me. I hate feeling like I owed someone money. however, on the occasions when it happened, it made me feel special. "this guy likes me enough to spend money on me." while that may or may not have been true (he may have just been raised to do it,) it was nice regardless.

3. using the correct adjectives
while this may or may not be traditional, I still believe that this is a rule to be followed. words such as "hot," "sexy," and the like should be used sparingly. while they are flattering and denote a physical interest, they lack a certain charm which indicates an interest on more than a physical level. and at some point, we all want more than that. try for words like "beautiful," and "gorgeous." while they are still describing physical attributes, they are more respectful and subtly imply that your interest may hold after tomorrow morning.

4. offering your seat
when a woman enters a room and there are no seats available to her, it's nice when a man offers his. am I incapable of standing? no. is it possible that I may decline? yes. still, it's always nice to be thought of.

5. helping a lady put on her coat
honestly, I'm not entirely sure why I like this. but I do.

6. waiting for everyone to be seated before eating
this usually happens a lot in families where the woman does the majority of the cooking. mom is still getting everything on the table, and the family starts serving themselves. it's incredibly rude and shows little respect to the person who spent their time preparing this for you. just wait the 5 minutes until everyone is ready to start.

let's face it fellas. you're now dealing with women who have been exposed to the literary enigma that is edward cullen. the perfect gentleman in every way, an impossible standard has been set. still, taking a page from his book wouldn't kill you. and a little goes a long way.