Dear Eric, I don’t think pretentious applies to everyone.  I can fully understand a sexual partner not appreciating romantic artifice when such art has been used to deceive him/her..

I’m not a white guy trying to bait a flame war in any
way here. I just want to ask an honest question,
because I honestly don’t know: is Fish making fun of
women for developing pretentious tastes, or men for
using dated courtship practices? I really don’t know,
and have no favor for any answer.

my current girlfriend pointedly does not like romantic artifice.  No flowers and no poetry for it will prompt an insult.  “Dude, are you always so romantic?”, she will ask exasperatingly.
I’m from 1953.  It is hard as i learned to like romantic artifice.