According to a common definition, chivalry is “the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak.”
The word is usually associated with the medieval institution of knighthood when knights’ and gentlewomen’s behaviors were governed by chivalrous social codes.” Today, however, we understand chivalry as a courtesy and gentleness to women.
Little acts do wonders: from waiting for a woman to sit before a man does, to help her with a coat to let her go through a door first. Having said that it’s subject to debate whether chivalry is still relevant today in a world where we put gender equality before other things.
So while you think about where you stand in this discussion (and share your thoughts below!) scroll down for We’s list of pics showing chivalrous men in action.
#1 A Couple Of Months Ago, An Elderly Lady Asked Me To Walk Her Home Because She Was Scared She Was Going To Slip On The Ice. Now I Walk Her Home Almost Every Day
#2 The Good Son
#3 Props To That Guy
Chivalry refers to the medieval knights’ code of honor that references a range of male behaviors. According to Texas A&M literary historian Jennifer Wollock, in the middle ages, European literature featured knights and kings as protectors of women.
For example, In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain” of 1138, King Arthur kills the rapist giant of Mont-Saint-Michel. A few decades later, the French poet Chrétien de Troyes portrays Sir Lancelot casting aside reputation, glory and treasured warhorses to save the kidnapped Queen Guinevere. Wollock argues that “such popular tales of chivalry pressured aristocrats to adopt the chivalric code – to some extent.”
#4 An Invoice From A Fantastic Gentleman Named James Anderson From The UK, After Fixing An Elderly Lady’s Boiler
#5 6-Year-Old Boy Protected His Little Sister From Dog Attack. He Stated, “If Anyone Has To Die, It’s Me. I’m The Big Brother”
#6 On My Flight Back To Georgia I Saw A Man Who Offered To Help This Woman Because She Was Pregnant And Alone On The Flight And Her Son Was Upset And Fussy
He did not complain, he just told her that he was a DAD, and wanted to help her so she could rest. This MAN walked the aisle for most of the flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta comforting this woman’s son as if he was his own… I was in tears… Not because he was white and she was black… But because it showed me today that there are still GOOD people out there in a world full of turmoil. Big UPS to this DAD and all the DADS out there… You are the real MVPS!
In the 14th and 15th centuries, English writers like Geoffrey Chaucer and Sir Thomas Malory depicted the court of King Arthur as a bastion of justice for women, well beyond the norms of that day, Wollock argues. As knights intervened to protect civilians, western chivalry became a force of its own kind.
In today’s world, however, our society is very much in dispute over the value of chivalry. It’s because chivalry demands that maltreatment of women be crushed, whereas feminism calls for equal rights between women and men, by which logic, both feminism and chivalry mean the same thing: respect.
However, some people are not truly comfortable with chivalrous gestures as they believe that it’s not the same as respect. Skeptics see chivalry at odds with feminism, and argue it’s no longer relevant.
#7 Both A Kind Gesture And A Flex. Best Of Both Worlds
#8 Very Kind Professor
#9 He’s A Keeper
In modern Western cultures, chivalry can be seen in men offering a range of special courtesies to women. This includes paying on dates, carrying heavy objects, pulling out chairs, opening doors, and allowing women to go first, even when the man was there first.
Beatrice Alba, a lecturer at Deakin University, argues that despite being generally seen as polite and even romantic, these acts of chivalry – where men are excessively courteous to women simply because they are women – have a dark side.
“Psychologists refer to the paternalistic attitudes underlying these behaviors as benevolent sexism. Benevolent sexism involves the belief that men should cherish and protect women, and ‘put them on a pedestal.’ This is because women are viewed as being more morally pure, weaker, and in need of protection,” Alba explained.
#10 After A Woman Was Taken To The Hospital With Hypoglycemia, Two Policemen Stayed To Prepare Dinner For The Five Kids Who Were Still In The House And Did The Dishes
#11 This Kind Bus Driver Stopped His Bus, Which Was Full Of Passengers, To Comfort A Bullied Girl He Saw Crying On The Side Of The Road
#12 This Lovely Gentleman Came In Today To Learn How To Curl His Wife’s Hair. His Wife Is Unable To Curl Her Own Hair And Often Burns Herself
So he stepped up to the plate and learned how to curl her hair. We had the pleasure of teaching him! We taught him how to do volume curls on short hair, how to protect her skin from being burned and we even taught him to put on her mascara.
It’s also important to note that research has found people higher on these attitudes also tend to be higher on hostile sexism, Alba argues. “Hostile sexism involves overtly negative and suspicious views of women – this is what people generally think about when they think of sexism.”
Benevolent sexism reinforces traditional gender roles about how women and men should relate to one another, and chivalrous acts may be understood as a manifestation of them. “It’s the same old problem that who we are or what we want should be predetermined by our sex rather than our own preferences and personalities,” Alba explained.
#13 This Amazing Gentleman, Every Valentine’s Day, Brings All The Widows From The Nursing, Retirement Home And Treats Them To Lunch, Gifts, And A Rose For Each
#14 When Being A Gentleman Is On Automatic Mode
#15 This Would Be A Man That Loves Going To Work And Does Not Dread It The Night Before
Upon entering the Magic Kingdom, one of the security guards said to the girl “Excuse me, princess, can I have your autograph”. I could see that the book was filled with children’s scribbles as the guard asked the same question of many little Princesses. The little girl could not get over the fact that the guard thought she was a real princess”.
Both benevolent and hostile sexism are intertwined with systematic sexism, which, when put in this context, makes chivalry extremely problematic. We reached out to Nicole Froio, a feminist writer who researches masculinity, sexual violence and the media.
Froio explained that systematic sexism is a term that refers to a “system of discrimination that targets women specifically for being women. So, for example, if a woman isn’t promoted because her boss is afraid she will get pregnant and take time off, that’s sexism.”
#16 A Lot Of People Got To Hear John Williams Conduct A Program Of His Music On Wednesday Night. One Who Didn’t Was A Security Guard. So Seth Low Gave Her An Mini-Concert
#17 He’s A Keeper
#18 Lithuanian Police Tradition To Pull Over Every Female Driver On International Women’s Day And Give Them Flowers
And while there’s been a lot of work done towards building a world with better equality in terms of gender and minorities, Froio argues that there will be a long way to go as long as we keep doing things the same exact way.
“If we all committed to a better, more equitable world, this wouldn’t be an issue, but it’s difficult to do that. So yes, there’s a long, long way to go,” she added.
When thinking of a more equitable world where equal rights are among the most valuable aspects of a strong and well-developed society, it’s interesting to think how chivalrous acts may (or may not) intervene with it. The answers may not be straightforward ones, and yet it’s the act of discussing these issues that matters.
#19 So Sweet
#20 She May Be In The Hospital, But He Made Sure They Celebrated 57 Years Together
#21 I Got A Flat & Although My BF Was On The Phone Trying To Help, I Was Struggling To Loosen The Lug Nuts. Then These Guys Came Up
They spoke limited English but gestured toward the tire. They put my spare on & I was back on the road in no time. I thanked them & tried to offer them $ to no avail.
#22 Lowe’s Ran Out Of Generators, And A Complete Stranger Gave His Generator To A Woman Whose Father Is Living On Oxygen. People Helping People. I Love My State
#23 This Punk Helping A Woman Carry Heavy Stuff In Berlins Subway
#24 This Man Offered To Hold Woman’s Baby While She Filled Out Paperwork At The Doctor’s Office
#25 NFL Player Pushes Woman In A Wheelchair Through The Airport When No Staff Showed Up To Help Her
#26 Good Samaritan Carries Elderly Woman Struggling To Use Stairs
Y’all I have to brag about my husband big time tonight! He made me soo proud. As we were sitting in our seats waiting for the rodeo to start I noticed an elderly lady (pictured below) her grown daughter and 2 young granddaughters trying to come down the stairs. The elderly lady was having a rough time. I pointed them out to my husband and said they may need help. Not only did he help get her to her seat, but she did not have the strength to come back up the stairs. So, he carried her!
#27 The Woman Pushing The Car Is Blind. The Man Right Next To Her Repeats Every Single Thing He Sees – What’s On Sale, The Brands And Styles
I heard her say while choosing bath towels “ Please get me two white ones, I love the color white”… let us cherish the small gift that is eyesight!
#28 This Little Lady Has Been Asking Her Husband To Push Her Around So She Can Catch Pokémon While They Wait To Board Their Flight
He keeps checking in and cheering her on to see if they got one. Find someone who loves you like this.
#29 A Young Man Sheltering An Old Lady From Hail While Crossing The Road. Tbilisi, Georgia
#30 My Girlfriend Lost Her Purse With Her Passport And A Lot Of Money In It. This Dude Found It, Contacted Her, And Got It Back To Her With Everything Still In It
#31 Every Day For One Week, Lifeguards Would Meet Ms. Dottie And Her Family To Help Assist Her Down To Her Beach Chairs. At The Days End, They Escort Her Back To The Condo
#32 I Got A Flat Tire In An Unfamiliar Area, These Men Stopped And Offered To Help. They Ended Up Doing All The Work And Wouldn’t Accept Money When I Offered
Bonus: my lil man in the car keeping me safe from strangers.
#33 A Train Driver Helping A Passenger
#34 Chivalry Still Exists
#35 Saudi Police Officers Handing Out Roses To Women Drivers (Today Is The First Day They Can Drive Legally)
#36 Young Man Comes In Alone, Sees The Older Lady Eating By Herself, Asks To Join Her. Instant Friends. This Is What Is Right In The World
#37 Real Chivalry
#38 Just Landed NYC. People Across Aisle Didn’t Know Each Other. She Was Flying For First Time And Was Terrified. He Talked Her Through It And Held Her Hand. Just People Being People
#39 My Neighbor Knows I’m At Home With A 2-Year-Old While My Husband Is At Work. He Kindly Removed Snow, Cleared Our Walkways, And Salted The Driveway
#40 An Elderly Woman’s Door Was Ripped Off Its Hinges In An Attempted Break In. Constable Boswell Put His Tradie Skills To Work And Repaired Her Broken Door
#41 My Great-Uncle Visits His Wife Every Day Because She’s In An Assisted Living Facility As She Has Alzheimer’s. He Can’t Go In Right Now For Safety Reasons
#42 The Firefighters That Helped Deliver Our Baby In Our Driveway Last Week Just Dropped Off Flowers
#43 This Dude That Gave His Girl His Shoes Cause Her Feet Hurt Just Set The Bar Way Too High
#44 Dude Saw A Little Old Lady Was Having Trouble Bagging Some Stuff So He Stopped And Held Her Bag Open For Her
Small act but man did it make my day… And yes I absolutely took a pic of 2 complete strangers.
#45 This Gate Agent Offered To Help An Exhausted Mother Travelling Alone Calm Down Her Crying Infant
#46 Isn’t That Just Love?
#47 Wholesome Hair Husband
#48 Jack Purchased Seats In The Upper-Class Cabin For A Flight Home. When He Got Onboard, Jack Found Violet In The Economy Class And Swapped Seats With Her
#49 This Guy Kept His Hand In This Position For More Than 45 Minutes So His Daughter Could Sleep Well
#50 On My Flight Today We Hit Some Really Bad Turbulence Over The Atlantic. Pilot Comes On & Says, “Flight Attendants Please Take Your Jump Seats”
As the turbulence picks up, in the seat in front of me, a gentleman reaches his hand across the aisle so the woman he was flying with could hold on.