Females, have you ever tried to open a door for a guy and they start arguing with you? Or have you ever had a guy deliberately get in front of you to open the door right before you reach it? Well if you haven’t, you are one of the few lucky ones. I say this because in our society we have been taught that it is acceptable and respectful for a guy to open a door for females but not the other way around.

Last time I checked, we live in the 21st century and we women are more than capable of opening the door for ourselves. Many people do not realize that opening the door for a female is not just being nice or a gentleman, but it is also a form of oppression. Believe it or not, it’s as if we are telling females they cannot take care of themselves, including door opening.

Now, I realize a lot of people would be quick to disagree with me. Most females I talk to think it is ridiculous to say a guy holding a door open for me is oppressing me, but the truth is the truth.

I realized this is the kind of thing holding females back. A guy actually told me he was supposed to be holding the door for me and I was going against the “norm.” It is not OK for a complete stranger to tell me I am wrong for holding a door open for him.

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying all door holding is wrong. If someone is walking behind you and you just let a door slam in their face, that’s simply rude; even I would have a problem with that. So do not confuse my hatred of men who always hold the door open for females with the obvious rudeness of letting a door slam in someone’s face. I also think it’s rude if you see someone carrying a lot and you walk past without holding the door for him or her.

My problem is just one thing and one thing only: guys deliberately holding the door for a female more than able to do it herself. This is especially annoying if the guy makes a conscious effort to hold the door when the female’s hand is already on the handle. Even worse is when a guy refuses to go in a door a girl is holding and insists on holding the door instead.

I have had numerous arguments with strangers because I had been holding the door for them and they refuse to walk through the door. Or, the guy will keep telling me to walk through the door first, which is particularly irritating. Unless I am in a rush to get somewhere, I will argue with any man who tells me I should not be holding the door for him.

There are actually websites that teach men how to be a “perfect gentleman” by opening doors. The websites include tips for every possible door scenario, from car doors to double doors. It boggles my mind that men and women believe if a man opens a door for you he is the “perfect gentleman.” It amuses me.

In today’s society door holding should be the last thing on any guy’s mind when it comes to respecting women. Opening a door doesn’t make a guy any more or less of a man or a nice guy. We have come so far and realize that women do not need the “help” they were once believed to need.

If we can gain the respect  we deserve from every man, I am sure women wouldn’t think twice if a guy didn’t open a door for us every time the opportunity did or didn’t present itself.