Why Men Should Pay On The First Date, As Told By A Professional Matchmaker
Khloé Kardashian may have more money than, well, nearly everybody, but according to her, the man HAS to pay on the first date -- no exceptions. This, of course, has stirred up plenty of differing opinions about whether this old school tradition is necessary or just kind of sexist.
Dating has changed so much in the last few years -- just ask your BFF who met her true love on Tinder -- but are all the rules of courtship changing, too?
To find out, I asked the brains behind one of the most successful matchmaking companies around, Meet Mazal, for help.
According to this professional matchmaker, there's four reasons Khloé's dating etiquette is actually on point:
1. You're avoiding a potentially awkward situation.
No matter how independent a woman is, having the man pay the bill on the first date is often seen as a protocol of dating. The matchmaker's analogy compared it to a pilot. To fly a plane, you follow a checklist and a clear set of rules. With practice, flying becomes easy.
And seriously, dating is complicated AF. Should I call? Should he call first? How long until I can reply to his text? These (and about a dozen other) questions are enough to keep you up all night.
Therefore, if there's a mutual understanding the man pays, you avoid an awkward situation at the end of the evening. Do you offer to pay? Does he assume you'll split? Do you demand to share the bill or pay everything?
If he pays, there's no assuming anything, and that's one less thing to worry about.
2. Tradition sets rules.
While some rules are meant to broken, you have to admit life is a little easier when you have a guide by your side. Having a man pay on the first date doesn't necessarily mean you're taking away a woman's emancipation. All it means is you're showing off that you're a gentleman.
3. You know for a fact it's a date.
It's easy to worry that a guy might've just asked you to hang out as friends, or that it's nothing particularly serious. A first date guided by traditional gender roles offers one clear message: It's definitely a date, with no confusion about his intentions.
4. It sets the tone for the rest of your relationship.
Well, assuming there will be a second date, anyway. But having the boy pay for the first date sets a tone of what's expected for the time you're together. It allows you to get a feeling of how he's going to treat you later on.
Of course, there's arguments to be made in favor of just splitting the money or the woman footing the bill, and it's obviously a personal decision for each girl to make (and maybe it'll even be a different choice every time depending on the date or the person!).
But, hey, the professional matchmaker and Khloé Kardashian have spoken. Now it's up to you.
