Real Live College Girl Cassidy: Decoding Girls' Flirting & Whether You Should Pay for Girls

Ever wanted to get inside a girl’s mind? Want to know whether all girls are crazy, or if you just don’t quite understand them (hint: it’s the 2nd one…)?
 
Luckily, Real Live College Girl Cassidy is here to answer all your questions about women and relationships, with poise, charisma and a little bit of humor. And don’t worry, she won’t judge you on your questions … unless you seem cute.  Girls – pass this on to your guy friends and boyfriends, stat!
 
How do girls really feel about guys paying for them on dates? Some girls would rather I pay while others would not. Does a girl really mean it when she says I don’t have to pay or wants to split it? How can I be a gentleman without offendingher? How can I conform to each girl's expectations?
    -Polite at Pomona College

Dear Polite,
This is a toughie because it really depends on the girl you’re dating. There are girls, like me, out there who are nice to boys, try to be fair and think equality in a relationship is good (sometimes I flatter myself…). Then, there are girls who think guys should be the “man” in the relationship and like – or demand – to be treated like a princess. But for the sake of giving you a helpful answer, and giving you the benefit of the doubt that you like to date nice girls, we’ll just pretend you’re dating me… Just kidding. But, really, here’s what I – and the first category of girls mentioned above – think about the subject:
The guy should pay on the first date unless the girl is the one who asks you out – then she should pay. But, in general, the boy should pay (at least this is what us girls think) because it’s the gentlemanly thing to do on a first date. This doesn’t mean you need to take her out to a fancy, expensive restaurant or anything like that (let’s be honest, we’re in college…). Go on a date that you can afford, and if she’s a nice girl (which, hopefully, she is), she’ll appreciate it!