Final Draft Column #1

The Evolution of Dating
By Abby Richter

The world is constantly changing around us. Technology is changing, fashion is becoming more creative, and dating etiquette is definitely going down a different road, and I’m thinking that road is a muddy, minimum maintenance road that nobody wants to go down. In other words, dating etiquette is at its worst compared to what it used to be.
I’m going to start with the 1940’s. My grandmother, Shirley Richter, had plenty to tell me about dating etiquette in this era. “My dates always came to the door to get me and meet my parents,” she said. “We would go out to a movie, or a dance, and sometimes we would just go out to get a snack, such as ice cream, and the guy would always pay.” The dances they went to were nothing like I would imagine. They were ballroom dances—with polka music. Then she told me something I have never imagined would happen. “When we would walk down the sidewalk, the guy would always walk on the side closest to the street, because if a car drove by in a puddle, the girl wouldn’t get muddy or wet,” she said. Also, in the 1940’s, not everybody had telephones, and my grandmother was one who didn’t. “If a guy wanted to ask me out he had to ask me in person, which meant he had to come to my house,” she said. Their style was also a lot more proper in the 40’s. A skirt and blouse was the most casual a girl would get when going out on a date.
Moving on to the 1970’s, the era of disco and my father, Terry Richter. As for dating etiquette in this era, there were some changes from the 1940’s but not a whole lot. My father said that he would always pick up his dates, meet their parents and open the car door for them. But, things definitely got a little more casual in the 70’s. “When we go out to eat, we would usually just hit up a pizza joint,” he said. “We would also do things such as go to a drive in movie, or go to a concert.” I would say a concert is a lot more causal than a ballroom dance. My father’s main source of communication when setting up a date was the telephone, rather than asking in person. The style was a lot more casual too. “Most girls would wear jeans and a nice shirt or sweater on a date,” he said.
Now, let me explain my last date in the year of 2010. I received a text message, “Hey, you want to go to a party with me tonight?” No phone call or anything. I responded, “Sure.” I drive there myself, hang out with him and then drive myself home. The last time I was asked to go to a dinner and a movie was, well, I can’t even remember. When I’m out with my friends eating, I will see couples on dates, and they are both just wearing t-shirts and jeans. I guess what this muddy, minimum maintenance road of so-called “dating” in our generation is becoming a world of texting and partying. I mean, I’ve gotten used to it, but after talking to my grandmother, I’ve came to the conclusion that dating etiquette is at its worst and is becoming way to casual. I would love to talk to a girl who could tell me that the last time she went on a date, the guy opened the car door for her. I would find that guy, shake his hand, and congratulate him on being gentleman of the year.


Contacts
Shirley Richter-402-735-7549
Terry Richter-402-735-7462