Chivalry by definition is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight. One could say this qualifies chivalry as an outdated concept. Yet it is still taught in some households that a man should open a door for a woman, pay for the date, and walk her to her door afterwards. Not that this is something common in specifically young men. It is very rare to even be asked on a date by a boy. So the question is, is chivalry dead? Should women stop expecting dates and flowers? With everything going on in the fight for gender equality, these lines can be blurred and leave the rest of us questioning what is appropriate and what is not.
Students on campus have found a difference between the men on campus and the men off of campus.
“Chivalry is a rare find,” sophomore, Samira Fahey said but when asked about Lasell specifically said, “Guys here do it and it makes me love the school.”
Angela Connolly said “Between friends, I think of it as doing courteous things, like opening doors and letting them walk in first, letting them have the last seat on the T or even with strangers its kind of a chivalrous thing. Letting a stranger have the seat and you opting to stand. To me chivalry is just common courtesy. As far as dating, I think it’s a little more than common courtesy.”
“People our age don’t do it as much as older generations do,” Ryan Fitzgerald said giving a male perspective, “But other cultures are a lot less chivalrous than us.” When talking about their personal opinion, both boys still believe in chivalry. “I’ll hold the door for girls, like if we are friends we can joke around,” said James Maloney, “But when dating a girl you should definitely be courteous.”
The consensus from the students of Lasell seems to be that chivalry is a sign of respect. Men are not trying to degrade women when paying for the meal or holding the door, it is a sign of respect. And women still appreciate a chivalrous man. The key is communication and moderation. One cannot be too chivalrous, treating a woman like she cannot do anything for herself (or vice versa). And if one is unhappy with the way they are being treated, they should speak up about it instead of ignoring it. Chivalry isn’t dead yet, it just needs an update.