Kendra Goff could not help but be surprised when her boyfriend showed up at her door with flowers just because he was thinking about her.
The new @ByuGentlemen Twitter account offers advice for men seeking to be gentlemen such as the advice to bring a woman flowers for no reason.
Goff, a junior majoring in sociology, has been dating Adam Sorenson, the voice behind the Twitter account, for the past five months.
“He definitely practices what he preaches,” Goff said. “Lots of guys can be considered gentlemen, but he treats everyone like that. It’s not just you because he’s dating you. It’s the lady trying to open the door with the stroller and the old lady walking into the restaurant.”
The account launched in early October. Sorenson, 22, majoring in English, created it. Sorenson grew up in Wilson, N.C., and his mom emphasized Southern manners. According to him, being a gentlemen in the South was normal, but at BYU it is not.
“I automatically assumed that because everyone’s Mormon, everyone will have these qualities that my mom put into me,” Sorenson said. “When I got here, it was almost a letdown.”
Sorenson’s female friends would return from dates where the date would not walk them to the door or the man would spend the date sending text messages. After hearing these stories from his friends, Sorenson decided to tweet advice for men who want to be gentlemen. He added elements of BYU culture into the Tweets.
“Don’t keep calling her your FHE sister if you are trying to date her,” one Tweet read.
Another Tweet discussed the Provo cliche, “DTR,” an acronym that stands for “defining the relationship.”
“If you have to set an appointment to go on a walk and ‘DTR’ then you already have some communication problems. Just be open all the time.”
The account has approximately 600 followers. Sorenson noticed his Twitter account grew to have more female followers than male.
“It became less advice for guys and more what a girl should expect in a guy,” Sorenson said. “A girl should not have to lower her expectations in a guy.”
Sorenson offered a piece of advice to those who want to be gentlemen.
“You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find the prince, so be that prince,” Sorenson said. “It’s really simple to be a gentleman.”
Carson Monson, a junior majoring in European studies, heard of the Twitter account from Sorenson.
“I thought it was a good idea,” Monson said. “Adam is pretty clever with that kind of stuff.”
Monson also recommends the account to other males.
“I think it’s not only good advice but also kind of a funny spin on BYU culture,” Monson said.
