Before my enrollment at Auburn, the South was mysterious, uncharted territory for this city girl. Though St. Louis is technically below the Mason-Dixon line, I surely didn't feel Southern.
I'd heard all the stereotypes. My fellow Midwesterners warned me of the irresistible charm of boys with a Southern twang, the prissy Southern belles, the fried food that might assist in my gaining of the freshman 15.
I came prepared to fend off these typecasts, but Auburn quickly won me over. Now, after two years here, I like to think of myself as an adopted Southerner.
Looking back, I'm not sure if it was the sweet tea, the fratty short shorts, the 2007 Iron Bowl or the toilet paper that trimmed the trees of Toomer's Corner for the week that followed.
But, one thing that I know helped the south win me over was the graciousness and politeness of the Auburn men around me. Much to my surprise, chivalry is not dead down south.
In my bustling, mid-sized city, businessmen and women scamper the streets, desperately searching for their next dollar. Don't get me wrong, I love my hometown, but I would never expect to hear a friendly "hello" from a stranger or have my car door opened by a date.
All along, I thought these actions were antiquated and extinct in modern America. I couldn't have been happier to be proven wrong.
At the beginning of my fall semester freshman year, I was power walking up the steps toward the Haley Center, trying to remember how to navigate the quadrant system, when I spotted an endangered species of man, one only found in the south.
He was holding the door open for me, though I was a good 20 steps behind him. When I reached the door, he nodded politely, and I nodded back, slightly shocked.
This experience was the first of many.
Sadly, I can't help but realize that women have assisted in the demise of chivalry. We are accomplices to the murder, demanding equality in a male dominated society. Though I absolutely believe a woman can do anything a man can do, I do appreciate the perks that a chivalrous guy can provide.
I like to have my car door opened for me, to not worry about who is going to pick up the check at dinner on a first date, to be walked to my front door at the end of an evening.
Maybe the desire for chivalry is a trivial, girlish naivete, but I think there is more to the traditional Southern mating ritual.
Chivalry keeps the girls happy and the guys trying. So please, protect the endangered species.
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