Men used to go to war: the death of chivalry & first date rules

Somewhere between the Renaissance and Raya, men went from writing love letters and fighting for a woman's honor to sending “wyd” texts at 10:47 p.m. And frankly, Emma has some questions.

This week, Emma is going down the rabbit hole about the lost art of chivalry, the rise of low-effort dating, and how the bare minimum somehow got rebranded as princess treatment. From the history of courtship and traditional gender roles to dating apps, modern masculinity, and the epidemic of men who can't seem to make a dinner reservation, she's asking the question on every woman's mind: When did being a gentleman become the exception instead of the expectation?

But this isn't just a conversation about men behaving badly. Emma is challenging the idea that feminism and chivalry can't coexist, getting personal about the softer side of being a hyper-independent woman, and explaining why wanting a man to take the lead doesn't mean surrendering your independence.

And because Emma would never deliver a lecture without a little practical application, she's laying out her seven non-negotiable first-date rules, the dating standards she refuses to compromise on, and a rather interesting update from her own love life that might just prove chivalry isn't entirely extinct.

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