Freyja
Banned
Danish girls are very independent and Danish guys are used to very independent women. The concept of chivalry is more or less non-existant in Denmark. Forget everything about macho men, the concept is considered to be ridiculous. Danish guys will expect girls to be a bit cold at first. It should also be noted that the genders are very equal in Denmark. Women should not expect chivalry. Guys do not hold doors and it is expected that a girl buy the occasional round of drinks. At the same time guys should expect Danish women to be very elusive and ‘hard to get’. Danish women expect you to be able to lead a fairly intelligent conversation. Corny pick-up lines and small talk are not accepted.
It should first and foremost be noted that Danes are extremely liberal. What many other nationalities would consider taboo is seen here as the norm. Funnily enough, Danes are also extremely rule bound. Danes view rules as very important and the breaking thereof is frowned upon. Danes are often seen as being very direct and at times even rude, because they say what they think instead of disguising their views in polite euphemisms. Also, it should be noted that Danes do not small talk – the concept simply doesn’t exist. Danes would rather keep quiet that take part in polite but meaningless conversation. Political correctness is a unknown phenomenon to Danes. Danish humor is often seen as extremely rude and very often also offensive. Danes love jokes about everything that include bodily fluids. Include both and you will make the Danes laugh.
Danes are generally well mannered, but in a very different way from what you are used to. Danes are very relaxed when it comes to social interaction. They will almost always say what is on their mind, and they can therefore sometimes come across as rude. You will never hear a Dane use euphemism – they don’t see the need. Danes do however find table manners extremely important. The same goes for how you behave in public. Even when you go to bars where you can expect people to be under the influence of alcohol, you will experience that Danes are fairly civilized and that rowdiness is frowned upon.
The Danish position towards alcohol tends to be relaxed. A friend who studied abroad once noticed that whoever invented the term Dutch courage clearly had never met a Dane. The legal drinking age is 16 and most young Danes have their first experience with alcohol before they start high school. At the same time it should be noted that young Danes are very responsible drinkers. They accept that some people don’t drink and forcing someone to drink is frowned upon.
Danes tend to have a close circle of friends that they have known for ages. Danes don’t believe in superficial friendships and it can thus be hard to make friends with Danes. It is, however, not impossible and as soon as you have made a Danish friend you are guaranteed a friend for life. If you really intend to make Danish friends it requires that you make an effort. If you show an interest in their language and their culture you are likely to get a positive response.
