Why Dates are Important…

Once upon a time it was a stretch for me to understand why women insisted on being taken out on dates. There's so many potential nightmares waiting to happen. You could spill food on yourself, get belligerently drunk, be forced to spend 40 minutes with someone who tries to eat plastic display food, or, clumsily fall over.* Isn’t the fact that you need to have a shot of tequila en route to spend time with someone an indicator that perhaps said scenario is a just a stigmatised  hallmark  of society? Really, it's like an annoying obstacle put in place by the dating gods before you’re allowed to have sex without judgment.

Aside from the chaos that the whole date debacle throws you into, men don’t seem to really like them either. At least, Australian men don’t seem to be tripping over themselves for an opportunity to show their romantic, charming, chivalrous selves. The word DATE is enough to give most men a rash. Early in the game they’re typically seen as a mere dollar figure on the monthly budget sheet that reflects a potential pathway to sex.

Ever wondered why terms like ‘casual sex’, ‘fuck buddies’, ‘hook-ups’ and ‘friends with benefits exist? Men made them up. Because they like short cuts.

I digress, that's enough of my traditionally injected cynicism.

Dates are, in fact, a necessary inconvenience. Just like shoes.

Dates are a window of opportunity through which we begin to ascertain what type of person someone is. This has nothing to do with how romantic, loaded, attractive or charming you find him. No. Sir. A man that proposes and organises a date without asking a woman for suggestions, help or guidance is displaying arguably the trait most critical to the beginning of a relationship. His character. A man that has the gumption and confidence to take initiative and arrange an evening/morning/day for someone that he barely knows (but presumably likes) shows his character. If the date is taking place for the right reasons (i.e. the two individuals like each other and are attracted to one another) this minor detail is all it takes for the occasion to be successful. A woman that genuinely likes a man will not care what he has arranged. She will enjoy it simply for the fact that he has made the effort. Similarly, if a man likes a woman he will want to show her that he does.

Hold on to your tequila kids, because dates, like shoes, need to exist.

*All of these may or may not be examples from dates I have been on.