Damsel in Distress

If chivalry can be described as the qualities idealised by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honour, valour, and dexterity in arms, then I certainly hope chivalry is not dead.

Photo: Flickr

Now, I am pretty sure I've lost all my male readers at this point, however, boys, if you are still with me, in the words of the British Government, Keep Calm and Carry on.

Now let me picture this for you. Enter one damsel of the distressed kind -  trapped in the tower of the horrid emperor's castle. Her only hope for survival is her handsome prince, her knight in shining armour who will climb up the tower to rescue his princess and carry her off into the sunset. And drum roll, please, here he comes, in true Cinderella style, gallivanting his way to the castle . He jumps effortlessly over the moat, swiftly climbs the tower, and gracefully lifts her up over his shoulder, and props her onto the horse. He slays the dragon and the happy couple are whisked away into the sparkly night sky. 

Now before we all let our minds run off with the whole 'damsel in distress' saga, let us unpack that whole thing. First of all, even if men had the physical prowess and agility as our fictional handsome prince, how are they supposed to find us? Us girls are pretty good at giving mixed signals and the whole 'i'm fine' scenario, when in fact, we are not fine and we do generally want help - we just hate admitting it. We want them to 'just know'. No doubt, if this scene was ever replicated us girls would complain about the fact that he was late, he didn't bring the right wine, he's all sweaty and needs to have a shower, he's got dirt under his fingernails and he forgot your 8¾ month anniversary. And unfortunately, the list goes on.

Just the other day, I saw a man get off the bus first and then turn around and offer his lady his hand to help her make the step, all while placing another hand on the bus door to ensure that it didn't close on her. Ahhhhh, so sweet. Totally made my day. And in this very same hour, whilst in the hardware store (I know, I can't believe it either) I witnessed a young man help a lady with some paint tins that she was having difficulty carrying. Just a little glimpse of chivarly at it's finest.

So, what I am saying is that chivalry is not dead, it has just changed a bit. Perhaps it doesn't manifest itself in the same way as years past, but look a little closer, and my guess is that you will find pure examples of it all around. 

And a little note for the girls, when a guy offers  to help us do something, be a little gracious. He is not saying he is superior, he is just saying he wants to help. 

And seriously girls, who wants to change their own tyre anyway?