Matthew Hussey argues that women who claim to be old-fashioned aren't actually following tradition. Historically, women signaled interest by dropping handkerchiefs for men to retrieve. Making the first move today is the same strategy, just modernized.
Women who say, I'm old fashioned, I don't make the first move. I always say, then you're not old fashioned. Because a hundred years ago, a woman would walk past a guy, drop her handkerchief and keep walking. The guy would see it. He'd say, this is an extraordinary opportunity to be a man. He'd pick up the handkerchief, rescue the girl, walk it over to her and say, Madam, you dropped this. And she'd say, did I? And they'd now have a conversation. Now, he thought it was his idea. Yes, and she was clumsy. She chose him. So I say to women, listen, this isn't about reversing roles here and you suddenly doing the guy's job. It's about you doing what women have always always done and dropping the handkerchief.
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