Last week I was taken on a date. I must emphasise, I use the word 'date' in the loosest sense of the term. Said date involved a slightly awkward tour of Primark, a visit to his friend's house (bearing in mind I had never met this guy before, let alone his pals) and, wait for it....a pint of coke in Wetherpoons. I tell no lies.
Call me old fashioned, but is this really what one should expect of a date in the 21st Century? Is Tinder and hooking up with a guy in a club the only way that women have a chance to meet new men? If so, count me out, I'll grow old with my cats.
If you take a girl out and show her that you're more than just a slime ball waiting to get in her pants, she will appreciate it and you might even get a second date. I would rhetorically ask what happened to the days when men picked up women and took them out for a romantic meal, but I've never actually been at the appropriate age to witness it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about cringey shit, but being looked after and being made feel wanted by a genuine gentleman would go a long way. Taking a girl to Primark and Spoons just isn't gonna cut it. I reckon I had better dates when I was seven years old when my crush bought me perfume from Claire's, made me a homemade card and took me to play on the swings at the park. If a seven year old boy can be more thoughtful than a twenty-three year old one, God help us all.
Chivalry is most certainly dead. I'm not saying this is men's fault. It might be a bold statement, but it's societies in general. We don't take the time to get to know one another. Heck, during freshers week everyone is your best mate and nobody would bat an eyelid if you introduced yourself to a complete stranger. Why are people not this friendly all the time? Why do people not go and say hello to that good looking person over the road?
I hold my hands up and admit that I am on Tinder, and yes, I am ashamed to say the example date stated was a result of a Tinder conversation. So in retrospect, I think, what were you expecting? I got what I had bargained for. This is the precise issue. Women have got complacent with thinking that men can get away with adhering to the bare minimum. It's normal. And it most certainly shouldn't be.
Men needn't be cautious of being gentlemen. Feminism might have scared a few of them off, but following my first proper post here, we don't mind you holding the door open for us, helping us carry our heavy luggage or taking us out for a nice dinner. What we do mind, is you thinking it's acceptable to take us to Spoons or ask us after a brief exchange of words, to 'Come mine?'. Are. You. Serious.
Women, get off your high horse and start believing that it's okay for men to look after you once in a while.
Men, put in some bloody effort.