Guys, it’s time to stop being creepy to women. We’ve been over this. But apparently we need to go over it again, because some guys didn’t get the memo. Maybe more importantly, recent events have brought the old Billy Graham Rule discourse back to online spaces. Which means we need to reiterate that the Billy Graham Rule just doesn’t cut it.
But there is another way.
Enter Keanu Reeves, thespian, producer and Chosen One. Everybody knows that Keanu is the gold standard of being a Hollywood gentleman. He gives his proceeds to charity! He’s not into crypto! He has an age-appropriate girlfriend! But here’s another reason to like the guy: He is above board with the ladies. Take a look:
Lol Keanu ain’t taking no chances. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nnfIOZKbT1
— Lind-says 🗣 (@_TertiumQuid) June 9, 2019
That’s right. Reeves knows that a good man keeps his hands where we can see ’em, and instead of wrapping his fans’ waists in a photo op, he utilizes the ol’ ghost hand technique. This technique never fails, whether he’s posing with fans, co-stars or even fellow angel Dolly Parton.
The photos in the above tweet aren’t selective. Scroll through any red carpet gala blessed by Reeves’ presence, and you’ll see page after page of the man keeping his hands flat-palmed and a couples inches away from the women he’s with. Some people call it “the hover hand.” We’ve got a better name: the Keanu Reeves Rule.
The Keanu Reeves Rule is superior to the Billy Graham Rule for a few reasons. First, the Billy Graham Rule ends up excluding women from important conversations — the sorts of strategic and influential professional spaces often dominated by men. Men — especially Christian men — may have good motives for keeping women away from these spaces and “avoiding the appearance of evil,” but the end result is that men continue to remain the movers and shakers in powerful organizations and women only hear about the decisions made after the fact.
Meanwhile, the Keanu Reeves Rule doesn’t make women feel strange or excluded. Clearly, everyone is welcome in Reeves’ circle. But there is still a halo of respect around the proceedings that protects all involved and guarantees a feeling of both inclusion and safety.
This is a lot bigger than taking pictures with women. This is about understanding how to include women while still respecting their boundaries and making the purity of your intentions clear. There’s a lot of ways to be a creep to women in the world. There’s a lot of ways to be better too. And one big way? The Keanu Reeves Rule.
