We all know that my job is seriously demanding but I managed to squeeze in a moment or two and watched MTV’s True Life: I’m a Southern Belle while I was there.
HELP! MY IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN!
Dead freaking ringer. I was beginning to wonder if my Southern-ness was wearing off being that I’m in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. After watching this, I am glad to say that I am still very Southern. My long lost Southern accent came back the moment I heard those Mississippi voices.
On one hand I was so proud to be apart of that demographic. But then on the other, I can see how if a guy is not from the South he’d have issues “getting” us. And how we would have issues “getting” people from other areas. We are a breed on our own. Weird, old fashioned, (sometimes) high maintenance, and WAY too concerned about how other people perceive us- that is the essence of a Southern Belle. I must say that I am no longer near the Southern Belle that I used to be but I am also far from not being one. For instance- half of my sorority pledge class had debutante balls when they came of age. I was taught to never call a guy until you are in a legitimate relationship. I was also taught that a Lady never makes a first move and always looks her best out in public- even if that means WalMart at midnight.
In celebration of being from the South here are some quotes about our culture*
“Being a belle is a lifetime of work so practice everyday.”
“American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God”
“My dear girl, the Yankees aren’t fiends. They haven’t horns and hoofs, as you seem to think. They are pretty much like Southerners- except with worse manners, of course, and terrible accents.”
“The South is dry and will vote dry. That is, everybody sober enough to stagger to the polls will.”
“In the South, the breeze blows softer…neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)…This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different too, and that may explain everything else.”
Southern women appreciate their natural assets:
Clean skin.
A winning smile.
That unforgettable Southern drawl.
Southern women know their manners:
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why, no, Billy!”
Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions:
“Y’all come back!”
“Well, bless your heart.”
“Drop by when you can.”
“How’s your Momma?”
Southern women know their summer weather report:
Humidity
Humidity
Humidity
Southern women know their vacation spots:
The beach
The beach
The beach
Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August:
Summer tans
Colorful hi-heel sandals
Strapless sun dresses
Southern women know everybody’s first name:
Honey
Darlin’
Shugah
Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Driving Miss Daisy
Steel Magnolias
Gone With The Wind
Southern women know their religions:
Baptist
Methodist
Football
Southern women know their country breakfasts:
Red-eye gravy
Grits
Country ham
Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma’s homemade jelly
Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:
Charleston (Chawl’stn)
Savannah (S’vanah)
New Orleans (N’awlins)
Atlanta (Addlanna)
Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:
Men in uniform.
Men in tuxedos
Rhett Butler, of course!
Southern women know their prime real estate:
The Mall
The Country Club
The Beauty Salon
Southern women know the four deadly sins:
Having bad hair and nails
Having bad manners
Cooking bad food
Wearing too much makeup in the summer
Southern women know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah!
Southern belle’s are a true God givin gift to the world, and of your a northern transplant, well just bless your heart, fake it! We all know that you got here as fast as you could!
*Side Note- I googled “Southern Belles” and the third link to come up was a guide on how to become a Southern Belle at About.com/Little Rock. Gotta love Arkansas.
