A conversation on the subject will no doubt produce a few tried and true rules, and these days, some thoughts on some others that are no longer written in ink.
Any question posed by an elder must be answered with a "yes, sir" or "no, ma'am. Always RSVP in a timely manner. Thank-you notes are required any time someone gives a gift or invites you for an overnight stay. Never show up empty-handed when someone invites you into her home. Always bring a bottle of wine or a little gift for the hostess. We used to say that white should never be worn after Labor Day or before Easter unless you are a bride. To this we say, why not?
It has already been established that the modern Southern belle makes her own rules when it comes to style, and this is no exception. Traditional Southern belles will tell you that while it is completely acceptable to drink, one should never walk around with a drink and that the drink should always be brought to them.
But the modern Southern belle is not afraid to do things for herself. While it is nice to indulge in the art of chivalry, and it is always appreciated, Southern girls these days are perfectly comfortable ordering their own drinks.
In the days of Scarlett O'Hara, all women were meant to do was stay in the home and care for their husbands and children. We asked around about how the Southern belle has evolved even from their mothers' generations:.
She sends her kids to day care when they are younger because she works outside the home. She is waiting longer to get married and have children because she is working on her personal ambitions or simply just enjoying life for herself. She encourages her children to follow their dreams versus telling them what they can and should be.
She goes out to eat rather than cooking a full meal every night. Southern women are traditionally caretakers, and that has not changed.
If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too. Translated, this means: "We'll be there unless something out of our control stops us. When you're exhausted in an I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. It happens often during a Southern summer, when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past Stop right there!
This one may be self-explanatory, but we can imagine it originating back in the days of stagecoaches, when horse-and-buggy pairs filled the streets. If you hear this one, it's best to slow down. A multipurpose Southernism. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness.
The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud. I was surprised as all get out. It was bad as all get out. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about. When you arrive on the banks of the fishing pond on Saturday mornings, you're hoping for a good catch—enough big catfish and bream to fry up for the family on Saturday night.
If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be. An exclamation—of surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotion—that is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario. Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning.
We admit that we've heard this Southernism more than once. Unarguable Southern criticism. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself. Southerners tell it like it is—no matter what it is—so think of this as a learning moment. Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. If someone tells you that you've got gumption, you should thank them, and then walk a little taller, because you've received a lovely Southern compliment.
Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in s England and Scotland where it meant "common sense". In the s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go.
Positive thinking, Southern style. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed.
We like to read this as one of the greatest Southern encouragements, but, like most of these phrases, you can use it however you'd like. Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative.
Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee. Oh, and flowers. Always flowers. She's an old-school girl at heart. She'll say her favorite restaurant is some trendy, all-local, all-organic place that serves main dishes the size of a golf ball. Chances are, she wouldn't mind brunch at Cracker Barrel. She likes when you make plans. A night when she doesn't have to coordinate between group texts, or look into restaurant reviews and make the high-pressure decision, on top of getting her face ready, fixing her hair, and making her purse?
Sounds too good to be true. It can mean spending an hour curling her hair. Or it means throwing on a pair of cowboy boots, getting to the tailgate as early as possible, and opening up a cold beer before noon.
With Southern women, the only time that really matters is suppertime. When you date a Southern girl, you date all of her friends, sorority sisters, and roommates. She'll real-time reveal all of your flaws, strengths, and fights to her girlfriends. As one Southern girl puts it, "if you mess with a Southern girl, you'll meet a squad of southern belles ready to whoop your butt.
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