East/West Dating Debate

So being a 20-something, college-grad, real-world, functioning member of society, there is one thing that is constantly on my mind: 20-something and 30-something men. More specifically: dating. A lot of it has to do with friends who are tying the knot. A lot of it has to do with my parents who were happily married for 2 years when they were my age now. And a lot of it has to do with being a horny, 20-something. Now me, being a born-and-raised Atlanta native, I've really only ever been exposed to one type of dating style - East Coast/Southern in the 2000s. I've never really dated any other type. And I was too young to date in the 90s. And to make that pool even smaller - every guy I've ever dated has had a similar background (born-and-raised in the South, save for one pseudo-dating-relationship). So these southern east-coast men are the only men I've really ever known. So I naively assume that their dating style translates across all state boundaries. But living with two girls who are not Atlanta-natives, I've been informed that all men are not created equal, and that different regions of the country yield different manners and dating expectations.


Christy grew up in the mid-west, and she says that southern men have it all wrong. They charm you with their polite good-ole-boy manners, but when it comes to following through, they leave you with a broken heart full of disappointment. I, of course, find that judgement and description appalling because my best guy friends ARE southern boys! And deep down I know that they are charming and polite and they understand how to treat women because their mamas raised them right!  And I can't believe that any of them would fill such descriptions that Christy mentioned! But then I think back on my dating experiences with said men and I'm suddenly humbled to realize that I've been through exactly what she just described, and to that, I must say touche. They were charming and sweet at first, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty, important stuff about the relationship, most of them left much to be desired. Lily, from the northeast, has had her fair share of dating northern men. But right now she's smitten with a south Georgia boy who fits the positive side of Christy's southern boy description. He's charming and polite and sweet - a very bring-home-to-mama type. And he's been dating Lily for over 2 years so he must be doing something right!


My limited experience with northern and midwestern boys hasn't yielded me much insight. So it's hard for me to truly know (from experience) what the differences seem to be between southern, midwestern and northern boys. I do know this much though: The one northern guy that I semi-dated/hung-out-with did not open my door for me, had a rude sense of humor and was bold enough to ask me to drive on our "dates". Am I old-fashioned for believing a guy should pick you up for the date, hold the door open for you and ask to kiss you goodnight? Maybe. But I also don't think it's too much to ask for/expect either.


Now the one group of men I haven't touched upon yet are the Cali-boys. Because for whatever reason, not many people move to Atlanta from California. Or at least I haven't met them yet. But I'd really like to know what those types of guys are like. If they're anything like Spencer, Brodie, Jason or Justin-Bobby from The Hills then I feel sooo sorry for Sophia and the next 10 months. But, as mentioned in her last post, Soph met a guy who's FROM Cali but went to school at Auburn that could maybe have some potential. So I'd LOVE to hear all about her adventures for tomorrow evening! I know it's not an exclusive "date" - maybe more of a "goup-hang" but I think it's safe to say that Sophia will at least begin to understand the way guys operate out there in LA based on how they treat her and any other girls they come into contact with tomorrow. The way guys act in a bar scene can be indicative of the type of guy they are outside of the bar scene so I'm definitely interested in comparing East Coast to West Coast next week with her.


That being said...what are your experiences with guys from different regions? And...Check us out next week for Sophia's take on the West Coast Man. I think this could turn into a topic that we discuss on a regular basis, based on our experiences over the next year. What do you think?