Modern existence is exhausting, to say the very least. We’re expected to wake up every day, go to work for the man, come home, feed ourselves, and do the laundry, all while the world is crumbling around us. Then we do the same grind the next day. In the bleak hellscape of 2026, if I want my coffee brought to me in bed every morning with foamed oat milk and fresh ground vanilla beans, plus a locally sourced bouquet of flowers every few weeks, I should have those little comforts. When it comes to my romantic life, I’m unapologetically a princess, and I have no problem proclaiming it.
Apparently, this is a controversial take, as evidenced by an Aug. 23 TikTok post from Alix Earle and the discourse that followed. The 25-year-old influencer and reality star was debriefing her recent dating exploits, explaining that she went out with three men in a row who picked her up but didn’t get out to open the car door for her. “Then it’s in my mind: I’ve already ix-nayed you before we even talked,” Earle said. She went on to ask her followers whether she was crazy: “Princess treatment or bare minimum?” And, boy, did people have thoughts.
Comments ranged from “keep those standards high, girl” to “it’s called manners,” with a few calls for Earle to date a Southerner and complaints that “chivalry is a dying breed.” There was also the occasional “girl, you can open your own door.” But why should being a princess be an insult in the first place?
While I disagree with the claims that “men should always open doors” — chivalry in a post-#MeToo world is a thorny concept, and many guys may genuinely not know if that’s what their date wants — I think there’s absolutely zero issue with desiring to be treated like royalty. One scroll through WLW TikTok proves that princess treatment is generally considered the bare minimum in relationships between queer women. It’s completely appropriate to expect thoughtfulness from a romantic partner, and if you like something done a certain way, you should feel confident asking for it. That’s different from expecting it without communicating, which doesn’t give the person a chance to learn what you like.
If all this is considered princess treatment, hand me the tiara. I’ll wear it with pride.
Maybe you want a glass of natural chilled red wine poured for you the minute you walk in the door. Maybe you want your favorite veggie dumplings express-delivered when you’ve had a sh*tty day. So be it! Not everyone in the dating world will give you that kind of consideration (the understatement of the millenium, perhaps), and it’s well within your right to weed out the people who won’t. If I were Alix, I wouldn’t immediately disqualify the guy, but I’d ultimately tell them that I liked the car door opened for me. If he responds badly, that’s data, and I can decide not to see him again.
If all this is considered princess treatment, hand me the tiara. I’ll wear it with pride. I don’t believe chivalry is dead, but I also believe in asking for what you want, when you want it. If someone still calls you a diva (derogatory), you can happily show them the door. Let them open it themself.
