Madame d'Amour

Ah, mes amis, bon jour, and welcome to another addition of Madame d'Amour. This week Madame will address a very important issue that even today, is still important in the courting process. Now being the southern gentlemen that they are, Tech men may not think much about common chivalry. For some, it just comes naturally because of the way they were raised. For others, chivalry took a deadly blow with the birth of equal rights for women and has been slowly fading ever since. Despite these differences in practice, chivalry is still very important to many women, and when put into action, can win the favor of some lovely ladies.

The other day Madame was listening to a friend describe a date she had with a Tech guy she recently met. The first words out of her mouth were comments on how the Tech guy had been chivalrous. The acts were not excessive-they were small things like opening the car door for her, holding the restaurant door, and pulling out her chair when sitting down to dinner. Even though Tech women are independent and self-sufficient, these little gestures are still greatly appreciated. The attention won this guy a second date.

Madame got to thinking about chivalry in different regions today while walking through the Student Center. A random guy about three steps ahead walked out the door, and did not bother to hold it open. Madame found herself shaking her head at the oversight of this young man when she suddenly stopped and laughed at herself. Prior to coming to Tech, Madame had not lived in the South and would never have expected anyone to hold open the door. At high school prom, one of the big deals was that your date opened the car door for you. In the South, many of these things are simply common courtesy.

So how does a young southern gentleman make the most of his upbringing? Be careful not to overlook these small tokens, as girls do notice them. In this way you will have a large advantage over your Northern counterparts. However, in practicing chivalry, make sure it is genuine. Falseness loses much charm, and Tech girls usually pick up on that very quickly. Non-Southerns sometimes view chivalry as phony. Be careful not to fall into that trap.

The next time you are on a date, in the Student Center, or on your way to calculus, remember to always be courteous. Hold open the door, pull out the chair, and walk on the outside of the sidewalk. These are all tiny gestures that require minimal effort, but will reap enormous dividends, even if that special someone only tells her friends about it.

The madame loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at campus.life@technique.