A very old-school dating practice is taking over TikTok. Romantic types on the social network are embracing the “sidewalk rule” as a guide to figure out if their partner is a keeper or not. Lots of TikTokers are saying that if their partner doesn’t know the rule, then he’s not worth it. The hashtag #sidewalkrule has racked up more than 2.4-million views, but what’s it all about?
Basically, the sidewalk rule is that if you’re walking on the sidewalk together, he’ll scoot you over to the inside and walk on the side closest to the road. The idea is that the man will be able to protect you from traffic or other dangers by being on the outside. But what a lot of these young users may not realize is that it goes way back, we’re talking centuries back.
But at least one TikToker knows the origins of the sidewalk rule. In a comment, TikTok user Cristerland Schreffl explains that it goes back to 16th century England, where “it was custom for a man to walk on the outside because of the emptying of chamber pots in the olden days, as well as the splashing of stuff on a woman’s dress.” Back then, the streets had human and animal waste, as well as puddles and other filth, so protecting a lady from that was the chivalrous thing to do. And while that’s less of a problem these days, plenty of TikTokers are still swooning about men who do this now.
- “He knew the sidewalk rule,” writes @girlcrushonmyself in a video gushing over her date. “Get you somebody who knows the sidewalk rule.”
- Another user comments, “I actually broke up with my ex once of many times because he let me walk on the outside.”
- And another admits, “I purposely choose the side closest to the street to see if they’ll move me to the other side.”
Source: Honey