just call me miss manners.

The other day, I overheard some random girls, probably around my age, talking about being ladies. One exclaimed that she was a such lady. And the others agreed that they, also, were ladies. Their clothing begged to differ. Maybe I'm mistaken, but shorts half way up your bum and skimpy shirts are not very ladylike. Our society is so very, very unladylike. I'm so disappointed by this. Who decided that these barely there skirts, dresses, shirts, etc, were socially acceptable? In my opinion, it's degrading. What happened to the days of modesty? Call me old fashioned (which people do, on a daily basis) but I prefer a long flowing dress and a nice cardigan over most of the things people are wearing these days. Besides the modesty of it, I would imagine it's very uncomfortable to dress in these tight dresses and whatnot. Also, let's stop piling on the makeup. It's not very attractive. Natural is best, after all.

In France, most all women refuse to leave their houses, even to walk down their driveways to fetch the mail, unless they are properly dressed. No yoga pants. No baggy shirts. They won't even answer their door if they are dressed sloppy. I think this is delightful. Why don't we partake in this wonderfulness? I think it's time we start to take pride in our appearances. So next time you're about to leave your house with your hair in a sloppy bun, in an old t-shirt and Nike shorts (which I, admittedly, am guilty of), OR clothes that leave very little to the imagination,  turn your little ladylike butt around and change into something a real lady would wear. Celebrate yourself. Think Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, and Jackie O... my three favorite women. They are the very essence of being a lady.

                                                                                                              



Elizabeth Taylor, Ginger Rogers, Jane Fonda, Twiggy are all women we should admire and look to as role models. Forget Katy Perry, Snooki, Lady Gaga, and the like. They do not hold themselves with poise, grace, or eloquence. So why do we idolize them? We have no reason to. They are in no way women that we should be admiring. 
Besides dressing like ladies, we should probably change our behavior, as well. 
1. Manners are everything. Dressing the part means nothing if you are not saying please and thank you... but it delves deeper than that. No more telling dirty jokes! (goodbye, that's what she said) Educate yourself on proper etiquette. Do not swear. Seriously, get rid of that potty mouth. It makes you sound uneducated... there are so many other words that you could choose from.

2. Choose your friends wisely.  You cannot choose your family, but you can choose your friends. Make sure you are surrounding yourself with positive people, who are as equally ladylike (or gentlemanly) as you. 

3.Always be aware of yourself. Do not overindulge. Eating too much and constantly getting drunk shows one's lack of self-control. "Partying" and getting slobbering drunk every single weekend is not attractive. It's just not. Plus, it's bad for you. Burping and passing gas in the presence of others is also a big no-no.

4. Be modest.  "In everything she does, a lady will acknowledge those who helped her before she takes any credit for herself." Do not flaunt yourself or your accomplishments. Do not act superior to anyone. Don't be self-absorbed. But don't be overly modest!

Be calm and polite, even when people are just plain rude. 

And, as the adorable little kitten Marie in The Aristocats, said, "Ladies never start fights... but we can finish them."

So there's my (not so) little rant of the day. I try to be as ladylike as possible, but some things... like that's what she said jokes... I need to work on. It's time our society says goodbye to our classless ways, and bring the class back! Here's to wearing pretty dresses in a world of sweatpants.


**all image links can be found here.

1 comment:

  1. Hear, hear! Definitely digging the new layout, by the way.

    ReplyDelete