Kirsten Dunst has been happily coupled up with actor Derek Hedlund for several years now, according to a recent feature about the actress in Net-A-Porter's The Edit. And while it took them some time to get on the same page about turning their friendship into a romance, it seems as though, all along, Hedlund embodied the qualities that were lacking for Dunst in former relationships.
"I appreciate old-fashioned manners,” the Fargo star told the mag. "I want a guy to pay for dinner and open the door for me. I love the masculine; I’ve dated men who had more of a feminine side and it didn’t work.”
To which we say: Good for you, Kirsten Dunst. It's not easy figuring out what you actually need in a partner, and we're glad she found the right relationship formula with Hedlund.
However, this comment does bring up an interesting point about how certain chivalrous qualities do — or don't — align with particular ideas about gender. At what point are we going to stop assuming that chivalry and traditional characteristics of masculinity always go hand in hand?
There's a big difference between being macho for the sake of manliness and just being a considerate human being. What's more: Wanting to date someone who is attentive isn't a feminine or girly thing. It's normal — and it doesn't need a gender qualifier.
We totally understand what Dunst is getting at, though. Finding the perfect fit is never easy.
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