Well, my Jack Sparrow friend, let me say this. What you've done is present the very definition of a flawed and careless conflation. How in the world you've managed to make the leap from fossilised dress "rules and codes" to genteel conduct in a polite society is staggering. Literary license is one thing but you've managed to run completely off the rails on this one.
Regarding @Princessfan20's question.....I do. The damsel in distress notion is just plain silly. It's common courtesy. I do the same thing for men and women. Especially so for someone who appears to need a bit more time and perhaps help than do I or someone else.