It’s 2023 and women making the first move—whether that’s for dates or proposals—isn’t something new.
But somehow, Andrea Brillantes got flak for being the one to ask her beau Ricci Rivero out to prom.
Of course, there were other reasons why the actress’ promposal at BLACKPINK’s Philippine Arena concert got attention (positive and negative), but the reactions over her making the first move have to be one of the most ridiculous ones.
In the comments section of Andrea’s Facebook post about the experience, one netizen wrote, “Baliktad na pala ngayon. Babae na nagyaya 😂.”
The comment has been deleted, as of writing, but Facebook page Senyora shared a screenshot of it along with the actress’ response.
“It’s for #StarMagicalProm so yes, ako po talaga dapat dahil ako po yung artist ng Star Magic 😊,” she answered.
“Also, it’s high time we stop shaming girls for making the first move even on other instances.”
For so long, men have been expected by society to make the first move when it comes to dating. Meanwhile, women are just told to wait around for “Mr. Right.”
But society and notions around gender and relationship norms have evolved that we’re way past just handing men the social responsibility to initiate dates or even proposals. Yes, more men still do the heavy lifting in these respects—in the US, 95% of heterosexual relationships see the man proposing while only 5% of these married couples have the woman pop the question.
Traditions are a big factor in why women aren’t making the first move, but there are other reasons why they don’t. They don’t wanna be seen by others as “easy” or called too eager.
A survey done by The League in 2018 actually found that women who make the move first were luckier in love and dating. Dating expert Madeleine Mason also told the Independent that women increase their odds of finding love when they take action first.
Instead of shaming women who are taking charge of their dating and romantic lives, we should cheer them on. Making the first move is empowering and boosts self-confidence. Women don’t have to keep waiting for the perfect guy to come around as they did in the past nor do they have to sit around for him to ask her out on dates or to put a ring on it.
banner by: @justdrawrin
