History Main / WaitForYourDate

!Examples

* Referenced and played with in ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'' as Molly Brown takes pauper Jack to be fitted for a proper tux since after "saving Rose", he has been invited to dine with the upper crust. He wasn't really waiting for his date though he had his eye on the already-engaged Rose.

* If we choose to relax the definition of "date" for Batman and Poison Ivy's [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE5PrettyPoison first encounter]] in her greenhouse, then she takes her time [[SlipIntoSomethingMoreComfortable slipping into her sexy costume]], [[VictoriasSecretCompartment storing her special lipstick]] [[AnticipatoryLipstick for later]], hitting the lights and making a [[TheTease sensual, teasing show]] of revealing herself to Batman, who'd been kept occupied "playing" with a very grabby, very hungry pet flytrap.

* If we choose to relax the definition of "date" for Batman and Poison Ivy's [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE5PrettyPoison first encounter]] in her greenhouse, then she takes her time [[SlipIntoSomethingMoreComfortabe slipping into her sexy costume]], [[VictoriasSecretCompartment storing her special lipstick]] [[AnticipatoryLipstick for later]], hitting the lights and making a [[TheTease sensual, teasing show]] of revealing herself to Batman, who'd been kept occupied "playing" with a very grabby, very hungry pet flytrap.

The upshot of this trope for the man, is that he gets a chance to relax (or not) before he gets into the party environment. He also doesn't have to worry about himself or the girl being UnderdressedForTheOccasion. Variations are common and can include TackyTuxedo, which means some kind of older person will take advantage of the girl's extended prep time and rush the young man out to find him an outfit that won't humiliate him and his date, preventing a SnobsVsSlobs situation.

--> Girl: "Oh daddy, Archie can afford to wait."
--> Dad: "Well, maybe he can afford it but I can't!" (as Archie raids the refrigerator)

* Referenced in ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Hermione Granger shows up at the Yule Ball looking fabulous with her normally frizzy and unkempt hair beautiful, coiffed, and well behaved. Hermione herself explains that she only did it for a special occasion because all the preparation, even with the magical assistance of Sleekeasy's, takes too much time.
* Homer's ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' details how Penelope, acting regent of Ithaca as the wife of Odysseus, kept a bevy of suitors housed and fed in a reception hall while waiting at least nine years for her husband to return home from the Trojan War. Almost all of these suitors were opportunists, social climbers, wannabes or straight-up mooches, leeching off the Ithaca treasury. Greek custom of the time forbade Penelope from shooing them away, as that would be an affront to Zeus, however she also remained circumspectly distant from them, allowing only servants to content them.

* ''Music/TheKinks'': In "Come Dancing" by, where he describes his sister's social calendar.
->Another Saturday, another date
-> She would be ready but she'd always make him wait

* ''Webcomic/{{Curtailed}}'': It's {{played with}} in the Friday 12 February 2016 installment, where the married couple Mandy and Fox race each other to get cleaned, prepped and dressed to go somewhere. Fox won via supplementary panels showing an animesque TransformationSequence.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", Amy asks her Valentine's date to wait for 20 minutes while she finishes getting ready. Fry, who's head is temporarily attached to her shoulder, points out that Amy's already dressed and ready to go.

* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''. Tom Lucitor and Star Butterfly both have magic to assist when they dress up, so it's instantaneous. Marco Diaz is a mere mortal, and has had mishaps when accepting Star's offers of magical shortcuts. So he goes the mundane way, making his friends wait for him.
* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': Averted and PlayedForLaughs in "WesternAnimation/SolidSerenade". Tom goes with a bass fiddle to pitch woo to a pretty female kitty. This kitty is seen in silhouette in her boudoir tweezing her eyebrows. However, once Tom starts his rendition of "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't," the kitty power-primps herself in less than five seconds, and emerges ever-so-elegantly onto her balcony to be serenaded.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]

# It's an expected social more as much as it is a trope because in the case of teens, it gives the family a chance to get to know the LoveInterest of their girl.

* Referenced in ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Hermione Granger shows up at the Yule Ball looking fabulous with her normally frizzy and unkempt hair beautiful, coiffed, and well behaved. Hermione herself explains that she only did it for a special occasion because all the preparation, even with the magical assistance of Sleekeasy's, takes too much time.

* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''. Tom Lucitor and Star Butterfly both have magic to assist when they dress up, so it's instantaneous. Marco Diaz is a mere mortal, and has had mishaps when accepting Star's offers of magical shortcuts. So he goes the mundane way, making his friends wait for him.

->"I told you I'd be ready in five minutes, stop reminding me every half-hour!"

One: it's an expected social more as much as it is a trope, because in the case of teens, it gives the family a chance to get to know the LoveInterest of their girl.

Two: the man generally has less required of him to be ready for a night out.

Women have beauty regimens that can and do take hours. The more formal the event, the more complicated and time consuming preparation is for the woman.

The upshot of this trope for the man, is that he gets a chance to relax (or not) before he gets into the party environment. He also doesn't have to worry about himself or the girl being UnderdressedForTheOccasion. Variations are common and can include TackyTuxedo, which means some kind older person will take advantage of the girl's extended prep time and rush the young man out to find him an outfit that won't humiliate him and his date, preventing a SnobsVsSlobs situation.

-->'''Rule Seven:''' As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process which can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

[[RuleOfThree Three]]: in addition to the ordinary grooming and dressing rituals women incur for a date night, The woman might also plan on pulling a BigEntrance featuring: a GrandStaircaseEntrance because SheCleansUpNicely in a PimpedOutDress where EverythingsBetterWithSparkles, so as to stun her date into speechlessness.

* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''. Tom Lucitor and Star Butterfly both have magic to assist when they dress up, so it's instantaneous. Marco Diaz is a mere mortal, and has had mishaps when accepting Star's offers of magical shortcuts. So he goes the mundane way,makibg his friends wait for him.

* ''Franchise/ArchieComics'': Archie is sometimes kept waiting by Veronica or other dates.

* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': Averted and PlayedForLaughs in "Solid Serenade". Tom goes with a bass fiddle to pitch woo to a pretty female kitty. This kitty is seen in silhouette in her boudoir tweezing her eyebrows. However, once Tom starts his rendition of "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't," the kitty power-primps herself in less than five seconds, and emerges ever-so-elegantly onto her balcony to be serenaded.

* Referenced and played with in ''Film/{{Titanic}}''as Molly Brown takes pauper Jack to be fitted for a proper tux since after "saving Rose", he has been invited to dine with the upper crust. He wasn't really waiting for his date though he had his eye on the already-engaged Rose.

* Inverted in WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil. Tom Lucitor and Star Butterfly both have magic to assist when they dress up, so it's instantaneous. Marco Diaz is a mere mortal, and has had mishaps when accepting Star's offers of magical shortcuts. So he goes the mundane way,makibg his friends wait for him.

* Referenced and played with in [[Film/{{Titanic}}]] as Molly Brown takes pauper Jack to be fitted for a proper tux since after "saving Rose", he has been invited to dine with the upper crust. He wasn't really waiting for his date though he had his eye on the already-engaged Rose.

* Referenced and played with in [[Film/{Titanic}]] as Molly Brown takes pauper Jack to be fitted for a proper tux since after "saving Rose", he has been invited to dine with the upper crust. He wasn't really waiting for his date though he had his eye on the already-engaged Rose.

Oftentimes, the guy waiting for his date is getting the IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer speech from her dad, her nine brothers, her best friends, etc. If they're teenagers, the dad may also remind the young man of his daughter's curfew. He may intimidate the date with his own size if he's a PapaWolf who wants to make absolutely certain nobody harms a hair on his little girl's head. He may intimidate the boy waiting with his impressive collection of guns, swords, rare magic items, kennel of giant mutant dogs, etc.