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His faint smile transformed into a look of utter confusion as the girl stopped and gave him an equally confused stare.

Pretending not to see the awkward situation, I entered through another set of doors.

Chivalry has become an obscure concept in recent times. It is by no means an isolated phenomenon; it is rather part of a web of behavior molded by experience.

Exposure to chivalry occurs first in the family; we observe various interpersonal relationships while watching and impersonating our relatives.

“I observed the way my father treated women – how he would stand up if a woman entered the room. You don’t actually process the action, it just becomes ingrained from a very young age” says third-year computer science student Tom Lyttelton.

“You have gravity and you open doors for women – it’s a given” says Jacob Rothfield, a third-year physics student.

Chivalry can also be reinforced by simple displays of respect from both genders.

“Equality was instilled in me because I have a lot of females in my family,” said Hiten Mulchandani, a third-year mechanical engineering student.

This doesn’t mean you need to like every person you open the door for. Nor should chivalry take on the role of a job and become a burden in our already demanding lives.

“You don’t pay for someone’s dinner out of chivalry,” says second-year microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student Eric Dugum. He believes that in America, the emphasis is mostly placed on treating women as equals.

As the social circle widens, countries where women have historically had the opportunity to actively participate in the public and political sphere seem to place more value in chivalry along with this value for gender equality.

“New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage and our female prime minister has helped drive the economy up,” said Mulchandani, a student from New Zealand.

Through media, we often see the older generation exhibit acts of chivalry and exaggerated courtesy, but the modern young person doesn’t.

The problem is that media often does not reveal the reality; instead, it shows an altered version and claims that as reality. Young people should be wary of the misconceptions often communicated by the media and should not allow this to control their actions.

Feminism has proved itself a two-sided influence on the population.

It has allowed women to advance in the professional world and accept a mode of living that offers opportunities, but it has also “blurred the line of the expectations in a relationship between the opposite sexes” Rothfield said.

Chivalry serves to oil the wheels of communication and compassion – it can be used to better ourselves on a personal level.

When I encounter chivalry, I view it as a token of respect and a positive expression of attention. For students, the level of chivalry should be determined by the level that they feel comfortable expressing.

In our fast-paced, hectic society, a little assistance and a smile can do a world of good.

E-mail Oster at moster@media.ucla.edu.