Texas School 'Chivalry' Assignment Tells Girls To Obey And Dress To Please Men

A Texas high school is under fire after issuing an assignment this week on “chivalry” that instructed girls to dress to please men, address men “respectfully by title,” not “complain or whine” and to walk behind men “daintily, as if their feet were bound.”

The task required students at Shallowater High School in Lubbock County to follow instructions for “Chivalry Day.” The “ladies in the class” were directed to demonstrate how the “code of chivalry and standards set in the medieval concept of courtly love carries over into the modern day” by following the 10 rules listed.

Each rule was to be signed off by an adult when completed for 10 points, according to an image of the assignment, dated March 3, and tweeted by local journalist Brandi D. Addison.

Girls were asked to “dress in a feminine manner to please the men,” “address all men respectfully by title, with a lowered head and curtsy,” “cook (preferably not buy) something for the gentleman in their class,” “not initiate conversations with males,” “walk behind men daintily as if their feet were bound,” “clean up after the men” and “obey any reasonable request of a male,” among several other other requests.

An image of the assignment was shared in a private Facebook group, according to local news organization EverythingLubbock.com . 

Parents in the group reportedly said that the assignment was removed following complaints. However, it had already garnered significant negative attention online.

“This assignment has been reviewed, and despite its historical context, it does not reflect our district and community values,” Shallowater High School said in a statement.  “The matter has been addressed with the teacher, and the assignment was removed.”

Addison also shared an image of the assignment given to male students. Boys were also told to follow a set of rules, including to dress in jackets and ties or suits, show “courtly courtesy as they assist ladies who may have dropped an article by picking it up for them,” help girls seat themselves, address women as “milady,” “create a yummy treat of friendship,” bow when greeting women and rise when they enter the room.